My friend recently told me about the newest way to read. I laughed. It’s called Spritz, and instead of going through the trouble and exhaustion of physically moving your eyes from word to word, each word flashes on your computer one at a time at the speed of your choice.

At first I thought, “First drive-thrus and now this? How much lazier can America get?”

Then I tried it, became dizzy and had to sit down.

Some people are amazed by this new technology and are eager to start using it. But, we always must consider the traditional method before jumping to the new one.

According to its website, Spritz improves reading comprehension and reading time from “traditional reading.” It makes reading easier and more efficient. Nowhere is it mentioned that you have to sit down afterward.

The Spritz people claim their technology solves two problems students have with reading: comprehension and comfort. Both are a matter of personal opinion and as soon as my nausea goes away, I may be able to explain it better.

Practically speaking, there are other problems with Spritz that “traditional reading” does not have.

First, it’s not available for personal use yet. The website only has samples with its own words. I would ask my English teacher how Shakespeare would work if it were spritzed, but I’m a little afraid of her response.

Second, we need to stick to tradition because there is a reason people prefer it over new technology.

Take FaceTime, for example. FaceTime has almost everything physical interaction has. You can see and hear people and not have to move at all except for reaching into your pocket for your phone. But if we had to choose between a life of FaceTime and actually speaking to people in real life? No contest. 

And what about the simple joy of reading? Re-reading a particular passage because you enjoyed it or wanted to find another meaning? Spritz can’t rewind.

Shakespeare’s works would certainly be different if you only saw one word at a time. You might be able to comprehend it, but you couldn’t appreciate iambic pentameter or the rhythm of each line. And we won’t even go into how active reading would work with Spritz, though that may be more of a pro than a con with high school students.

There are many times in school when students demand to use new technology and their teachers don’t allow it. Many teachers understand that using the old technology is better than jumping to the new one.

In my English class, we’re not allowed to take pictures of notes on the whiteboard. When students ask why, our teacher simply tells us that writing things down helps to remember them.

When we encounter new and supposedly more efficient technology, we have to consider the traditional methods and not demand to switch simply because it’s newer. Spritz may be the latest way to read. That doesn’t mean it’s the best.