We summed up 2024 on the note that we need a new age literacy; a balance between traditional print reading and digital consumption. Lets look at what this learning plan might look like.
The world saw the power of what Joe Rogan, Donald Trump and Elon Musk just pulled off! Digital creator Joe Rogan is arguably the world’s top podcaster. He puts in massive offline work into a digital product like a podcast. Rogan’s authenticity sells – even his intense workouts are available online! However, like most busy people he is a hybrid reader- he prefers listening to books over reading and typically reads only one physical book for every 7 or 8 audiobooks.
He admits that audiobooks give him something productive to do to fill the “dead time” while he’s driving…or when he’s in the sauna. His book recommendations include ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ by David Goggins, ‘Breath’ by James Nestor, and ‘The Case Against Sugar’ by Gary Taubes.
Close home, YouTuber Kamiya Jani says that her primary mode of learning is travel. “Travel is my way of educating myself about the world. Through travel, I uncover history, immerse myself in diverse cultures, and learn how people live, think, and connect. Most of my reading is functional — but when I do get the chance, I enjoy self-help books. The last book I read, ‘How to Enjoy Your Life and Your Job’, a Dale Carnegie classic, had some incredible lessons on managing work-life balance and understanding emotions and people better,” she says.
A self-confessed avid reader and podcaster, Chris Williamson runs the hit show ‘Modern Wisdom.’ In his younger days, Williamson used to fill nightclubs with youngsters – that’s where he learnt all about audiences. His love for conversations led to podcasts and what he loves is the research. He has shared a very popular list called ‘Books to read before you die’ which includes classics like Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss and Dahl Raz.
Ganeshprasad Sridharan of the Think School Podcast has broken new ground with this intense case study approach. His interviews are now teaching material in India’s top B schools – which re-emphasises the need for a ‘new age literacy.’ Ganesh Prasad says, “I’m a just in time reader’, not a ‘just in case reader. Whenever I’ve needed answers in life – from how to organise a TED talk to how to build the Think podcast I turn to books. ‘Start With Why’ by Simon Sinek, ‘Build’ by Tony Fadell are books that have helped me tremendously. Though I must admit that I absorb as much from videos as I do from books.”
Before podcasts became so big, we had show hosts like Larry King, “a voracious reader who was exceptionally well-informed” as per his colleague Wendy Walker. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky is known to be one of his favorite books.
Our point at Bookstrapping is, make 2025 the year you find your new age literacy mix or your personal learning plan. But make sure that reading books (in any format) is a part of it! Because that’s where the new age influencers find answers and inspiration, both.