2025-10-26-Books vs the net
I am extremely thankful for the internet. Im terminally online so its entertainment, learning, leisure, relaxation, and so on. But its treated like a new world, where an endless abundance of knowledge and possibility lie. And to be honest I dont think this is true.
This is just because there is so much freedom and so many people on the internet. Anyone who has a computer, which can fit in the palm of your hand, can put something on the internet. From a twitter post to studio grade short film on youtube.
But anyone means ANYONE. Anyone, from people with best intentions but who unknowingly understand the topic poorly, to people who purposefully spread misinformation and make slop to make you more braindead.
And theres no filter for quality on the internet. Searching for how to draw will pull up the holy grail for any hoping to learn art right next to something like "buzzfeed top 10 tips to learn to draw" . And its a little hard to find out which is which when you start out, youll think you find something good but youre actually starting out on the worst foot possible.
Even like this, for a while I still thought books were outdated for learning. That the internet was superior since it was the culmination of all human knowledge. But I realized there is a huge caveat to this; the internet does not bring it TO you. Meaning, if you try and learn something, you will HAVE to get past the scum at the surface. Rarely, you dont have too but I think people would agree.
Im not saying theres no such thing as a low quality book either though. But I do feel there is less of them. I think editors and publishers filter out low quality work, leaving most of whats on shelves to be higher quality on average. And you can pretty quickly skim through a book and see its slop or not. Books also are much more thorough and comprehensive on topics as result their being longer in length than a blog post or youtube tutorial.
I feel most vindicated in this opinion when I go to the library. If youre trying to learn astronomy, how to write poetry, where to begin with history, or worthwhile projects to do or whatever, all it takes is a stroll through a library to find a decent place to start. Or a bookstore. The librarian can direct you, or you can use the internet in the way it actually shines: by looking up what book most people recommend. Usually you end up with something genuinely goated.
Either way, I just feel like books are superior to internet resources. Its easier to find and get the consensus on what book is quintessential than what internet video or guide is. Plus, books usually are better for properly learning something. Of course there are some channels or certain videos that go into great depth and are invaluable as a visual guide. But books are just on another level more often than not.
Every time I try to learn something I find that a book is much better than what the net offers, usually the net barely has anything that ACTUALLY helps you learn. Books rock, go read a book!