Audiobooks have become a powerful player in the world of creative engagement, and the reason for this might change each time you ask someone why. While it is true that modern convenience, attention span, decoding challenges, and more contribute, it is important to consider whether humanity is simply returning to its roots: oral traditions.
Audiobooks: Back to Our Roots
Before writing was a widespread phenomenon, cultures around the world relied on the spoken word to share the most important facets of their existence. History, parables, stories of heroes, traditions, rituals, and more all lived exclusively in oral form. In this sense, the rise of audiobooks is simply a return to form for the human race.
Many cultures today still function with a heavy emphasis (or, in some cases, entirely) on spoken information and memory. Many regions of South Asia that practice Hinduism have been sharing the Ramayana—the story of Rama and his journey to rescue his wife—for much longer than the written version has ever existed. In fact, historians suggest that the oral tradition of the Ramayana, one of Hinduism’s two cultural cornerstone epics, was told solely via the spoken word for more than a thousand years before it was first put to the page.
Similarly, indigenous tribes in the Americas and Australia value oral history and continue to rely upon it heavily to this day. The Stó:lō of British Columbia, Canada share important spoken lessons with their children from an early age, and these stories are never written down; how those who misbehave are turned into stone (the same stone formations visible throughout their land), while those who are virtuous become animals or other honorable resources. Aboriginal cultures have maintained the integrity of their stories for hundreds of years by forming groups of elders who share at the same time. In this way, others in the tribe serve as “peer reviewers” to minimize the distortion effect of stories presented by different people over time.
Almost anywhere in the world you look, you will find ethnic groups that still practice oral storytelling. In some, stories are shared only with select people. For others, specific events or times of year are the only contexts in which a specific story is shared.
The Advent of the Written Word
Basing human society around the oral tradition may have had more significant consequences than you might imagine. Groups of people were restricted to sharing information solely with those in their circle; if they wanted to speak to someone far away, they needed to go in person. Additionally, that person had better remember what was said, or it would be lost forever.
Now, compare how written text reshaped communication. Suppose that you are an average, middle-aged individual in a group of people. You all learn, communicate, and grow the same. However, someone introduces a written version of your language. Within a short time, a few things likely happen:
- Some people learn how to read and write quickly, and others do not. This gives the writers an advantage, creating a form of class stratification where there was none before.
- Communication becomes possible not just across distance, but across time. This can shake the foundations of how a culture remembers (and forgets) important details, for better or worse.
- Written media can be dispersed, leading to the potential for the development of not just education but also propaganda.
These are just the beginnings of the culture-wide aftershocks of written textual development. In many cultures, oral traditions and their essential functions were gradually consumed by the written word.
Are Audiobooks the End of Reading?
Given the increasing popularity of audiobooks, it is reasonable for people to wonder whether we’ve simply shifted back around: back to our cultural roots as an oral society. While the change may not be as profound as that, the reality is that audiobooks are here to stay—and there is a reason why oral stories have always found a cherished place in the hearts of many.
However, it is unlikely that physical media will vanish in the wake of the audiobook wave. Whether because some information is only conveyable via print or that some hangers-on will always prefer the earthy smell of freshly printed pages, reading will remain an essential skill for years to come.
As we will see next time, there is plenty to be said about the way that audiobooks trigger the brain areas normally responsible for reading physical media. If you cannot seem to focus on listening to a story, there might be a reason for that; similarly, if the printed word overwhelms your brain, that is fairly normal. Audiobooks are not the end of reading—they are just another form.
