The arbitrary elevation of certain entertainment and communication media within Western culture, and the accompanying dismissal of others, is but one of many errors rooted in public consciousness. There is only one entertainment medium that (often) demands of its users intelligence, skill, and interactivity, and that medium is not books, yet books continue to be viewed very highly by default. Before some people straw man my comments that will follow, I want to assure readers that I certainly appreciate some books, and I likewise appreciate the broad communication medium of writing. After all, I write here on a regular basis! What I am objecting to are the assumptions many people tend to make about books and those who read them.
Neither owning nor reading books makes one intelligent. In fact, many people who love to read are quite irrational, as they accept numerous claims as true simply because certain scientists, historians, or preachers posit them. They look to writers of renown as if popularity signifies any degree of soundness or accuracy. It is deeply disturbing to me that a plethora of fallacious thinkers like Plato and C.S. Lewis are commonly regarded as anything more than unintentional comedians. Books might be useful in some circumstances, but they do not grant their readers intelligence, and I have yet to discover a single book that explores certain key philosophical truths [1].
It follows from these facts that there is no justification for the manner in which many people revere published writing as a medium. Additionally, there is no intrinsic challenge or skill to the practice of reading. In contrast to this, a format like that of gaming cannot be used without direct, and in many cases continual, interaction--yet video games are often perceived as a lesser mode of entertainment. Intelligence and competence of varying degrees (or incredible luck) are required to progress in video games, whereas all one needs to progress in a book is the ability to turn pages. Anyone with functioning arms can skip ahead to a later point in a book, but most video games must be completed in a linear manner. This does not stop people from treating books as if they impart dramatic intellectual benefits simply by physical proximity.
There is nothing about the process of reading that inherently involves or develops some sort of spectacular intellectual ability. Nevertheless, it is far from uncommon for people to merely assume that someone who enjoys reading is intelligent, observant, and concerned with matters of truth by virtue of reading. Some people enjoy may reading, but far too many people regard it as a superior form of leisure or education and assume that it is usually a guaranteed sign of higher intellectual activity. It is none of those things.
Logic, people. It is very fucking helpful.
[1]. https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-list-of-neglected-truths.html
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