Maryanne Wolf thinks that online skimming is hurting our ability to comprehend and manage "deep reading" that is more dense than what we are used to. I don't think this is true. Sure, some people have a hard time switching from skimming light stuff online to more dense material, but that's two different kinds of reading. If you are going to read a dense novel you have to invest yourself in it and actively engage in the material. It's always been that way; I don't think the Internet has suddenly made us worse readers.
Also, as for students saying that their readings are too time demanding, I think this response is being analyzed in the wrong way. Sure, it is demanding on their time and they find themselves too impatient to finish or read it fully. But it's not because they are too used to skimming texts online, like Wolf is asserting. It's because they have so much dense reading for many of their classes and not enough time to do it all fully! That's how my experience has been, at least. I've certainly noticed, especially with having a Communication major with a Journalism minor, that most of my homework is reading. And it's not very light. (With the exception of this class, of course--we always have just the right amount of reading). So, yes, I find myself having a hard time focusing completely on one reading when I know I have three more to get through and not enough hours in the day to pore over each of them until I fully understand every single one. I think Wolf is focusing on the wrong problem.
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