And how this campaign attempts to revive one of the most essential forms of entertainment
Many believe that reading, especially critical reading, is on the decline. Thanks to technology, life holds more distractions today and social media has in various ways destroyed the far more useful and essential habit of reading.
Life, however, is not lived in a sentence or two, or a mere 100 to 200 characters at a time. Books demand—as well as develop—concentration and focus, things we have lost as we spend too much time on our screens.
But like a double-edged sword, technology also contributes to reading by making it more accessible to everyone.
To make reading even more available across the Philippines, the first mobile e-library and e-bookstore for Filipinos, Beebly, has partnered with Globe to bring exclusive discounts for all bibliophiles.
All network users with an active new GlobeOne account are given a 40 percent discount on premium titles at the digital bookstore. No rewards points are required.
The online library hopes to encourage learning in a convenient and easy-to-use platform. Anyone with a smartphone can choose from a vast selection of creative and educational materials to learn on the go.
Users who have subscribed to the content hub will be able to open study resources, popular eBooks, and other creative content and learning aids online.
The game-changing program encourages everyone at home—or anywhere—to learn together.
“Our company harnessed our expertise in technology to create a platform where Filipinos, particularly young students, can easily access both educational and recreational reading materials. We have also developed a proprietary device that will soon allow students to read, review, and study their lessons via Beebly even without wifi or data,” explains Jackeline Chua, Beebly COO.
Beebly has over 6,000 educational and recreational reading materials and has partnered with big publishing groups including ABS-CBN Publishing, Precious Pages, and Summit Media, to name a few. It is available for download in the Philippines on all Android and iOS devices.
I have always imagined paradise as a kind of library. —Jorge Luis Borges
“We hope through our app, we can significantly contribute to students’ learning and, overall, encourage more young Filipinos to embrace the habit of reading,” says Jyotirmoy Saha, Beebly CEO.
Globe chief commercial officer Issa Guevarra-Cabreira mentions how the partnership helps the company move forward in its goal of enabling inclusive education in the Philippines.
“We constantly think of ways to innovate and help improve the quality of education in the Philippines. We are proud to partner with Beebly on this initiative to provide a digital resource that makes books and other reading materials accessible to Filipino learners right on the palm of their hands, backed by reliable connectivity through our #1stWorldNetwork,” says Issa.
If everyone had a book readily available in their pockets, why do we say that reading is dying? Who or what is killing the habit? Is it the lazy storyteller who writes for the numbers and clout? Who writes for the algorithm rather than to serve and empower? Or is the internet saturated with information from both trustworthy and unreliable sources, sometimes indistinguishable from one another? Or is it because we have no more time to open a book, whether tangible or flashed on our screens?
Kanye West just confessed he’s repulsed by literature, comparing books to a vegetable often despised by children. “I actually haven’t read any book,” Kanye said. “Reading is like eating Brussels sprouts.” Little does the rapper know the cruciferous vegetable is said to prevent cancer.