While reading is generally an introspective activity we tend to do by ourselves in perfect silence, it’s a well-known fact that we are, as humans, very social creatures. We enjoy the company of others, we share a need to be a part of a community, and we generally tend to prefer to share our experiences with others instead of enjoying them all by ourselves.
Our need to be part of different communities is what led to the unbelievable success of social media platforms and this phenomenon has changed the way we live our lives. Needless to say, while a reading session is something we usually do alone, we sometimes crave the company of others. This is why read with me and study with me videos have become increasingly popular in the last couple of years.
What is the read with me phenomenon?
Read with me or study with me videos are generally pre-recorded or live streams of people filming themselves while reading or studying. They usually have very little action, as all you can really see in a video is somebody reading or studying and turning the pages one after another. They feature no music or sound effects, and they tend to put focus on the natural sound of the room the reading gets done, on the sound of the pages turning, and on the silence of a study room.
The videos are oddly satisfying to watch, especially while reading or studying and we found here at Basmo when trying them out that they have a very calming effect. The whole purpose of playing a read with me or study with me video is to feel like you have some company while doing your own reading and the videos work extremely well in making you feel like you are not alone.
Streamers who do these videos constantly and dedicate their channels to this phenomenon usually have very beautiful reading corners or do their studying at extremely well-designed desks and they can be a great source of inspiration for people to create their own reading corners to be as relaxing as possible.
Not only that, but they can also play a role in helping you get better control over your reading habits, especially if you choose a live stream instead of a pre-recorded video, as you will push yourself to read whenever the streamer is online, for as long as he or she is online. Sometimes the videos do feature relaxing music and also include breaks to help you learn healthy reading habits.
Since we are passionate about every single aspect of reading, we tapped into this phenomenon as well, creating our own read with me video for you to enjoy!
Are there any benefits of reading while watching read/study with me videos?
Even though this is a relatively new phenomenon and there are no studies to back up any claims of benefits or drawbacks, we can share what our own experience was and what some of our other users have told us about these read with me videos.
Without any scientific backup for our claims, what you are left with in terms of options for finding out what read with me and study with me videos are really like and what they can help you with is to try them yourself. But before you do, check out some of the benefits we discovered.
You get a feeling that you are not alone
One of the most obvious benefits of using these videos while you read is that you get a feeling that you are not alone. And, as bookworms, we know very well how important it is to feel like we have some company while we enjoy our favorite activity. Passionate readers, especially at difficult ages (puberty, teen years) can sometimes feel alone and isolated. Even though the habit of reading is an extremely healthy one with tons of benefits, it can still be difficult for a teenager to know that while he is reading his favorite books, all his friends are out partying or doing teenage things.
Read with me videos can boost readers’ confidence by showing them others have the same passion as them.
You can get stimulated in your performance
Sometimes, our best performances are not the ones we have alone. Having some company can boost our productivity. Since we no longer feel alone, we can, for example, allow ourselves to spend more time reading without feeling like we are isolating ourselves from the rest of the world.
By synchronizing our reading sessions with read with me videos, we can make our reading sessions longer than we would normally make them or even push ourselves to read when we were not necessarily in the mood, but our favorite streamer went live.
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Reading is more fun when you’re part of something bigger
As readers, we know that our day-to-day lives tend to push us further away from our favorite hobby every day. We are busy all the time, tired, and stressed. Sometimes being part of a community or a reading challenge is the only thing that can help us get motivated to find the time and energy for our beloved reading sessions.
Whether it’s a book club where we get to discuss the books we read or an online community where we get to share our thoughts and opinions with people from all around the world, they have a very beneficial role in feeding our love for books and reading.
While at first glance read with me videos may not share the same benefits as the things I listed above, the truth is that the comments sections on most of these videos are extremely entertaining and helpful. Especially in live streams, where you can chat with people in real-time, some pretty lit conversations can start. Do your part, start a conversation, support the streamer, share your experiences, and be an active part of this amazing phenomenon.
You can learn healthy reading habits
If you start following a couple of streamers who focus on read with me or study with me videos, you can learn quite a lot from them. You can learn how taking breaks is going to boost your reading performance, you will get into the habit of having structured reading sessions, and, if you follow live streamers, you are going to learn to have a reading schedule.
While all these benefits from read with me videos are great, there is a better and easier way to enjoy them. With Basmo, our reading tracking app, you get that and much more.
Here’s how Basmo can help you have healthy reading habits:
Set goals
You cannot achieve anything major without having a clear plan on what you want to achieve. That is Basmo gives you the option to set yourself personalized and achievable goals.
You can either set a daily goal for the number of minutes you spend reading on a daily basis, or a yearly goal for the total number of books you manage to read.
The app is going to track your progress towards meeting your goals and will also give you the option to visualize your progress.
Set a schedule
Being a serious, organized reader starts with adding some structure to your reading habits. While the benefits of having a clear reading schedule are obvious, the interesting thing is that Basmo can help you tremendously with organizing your reading sessions.
You can personalize your schedule however you see fit, both in terms of the days you want to do your reading and the time of day you will want them to take place.
Not only that, but the app is also going to remind you through gentle notifications of any upcoming sessions, so you can rest assured that you are not going to miss any of them.
Time your reading sessions
Basmo will also time your reading sessions as they are taking place. That way you can make sure to remember to take breaks every now and then in order to avoid eye fatigue or other unpleasant effects of reading too much.
Track your performance
Basmo is also going to track other important metrics while you read. It will record the number of minutes you spend reading in each session, the number of pages you go through in each session, and your reading speed. That way, you will always have a clear idea of your general performance and the areas you might need to improve.
Keep a reading journal
Having a reading journal is a great way of getting into mindful reading. You can jot down your thoughts and ideas after each reading session and mark down the important milestones in your reading experience.
Quotes
Since this article is somewhat dedicated to our need to be social, Basmo also comes with a feature that will allow you to share the quotes you discover while reading on any social platform you choose.
While reading, if you stumble across a quote that is worth sharing, you can either make a manual note in the app, or you can use the phone’s camera to scan the page and extract the text.
Once you have the text, you can turn the quote into an image either by using one of the predefined templates or by creating your own design and then you can easily share it on any social platform you want in just a couple of taps.
Give Your Reading Experience
An Extra Boost With Basmo
Track the books you read, monitor the time you spend reading and keep notes on your reading habits and how it makes you feel. You can set yourself targets for the time you spend reading and you can get notified whenever you’re behind on your reading time.
What are some of the best read with me or study with me channels?
If you’re new to this phenomenon and you want to experiment with it yourself, you will need some guidance to make the right choices to get an amazing first experience. As with anything else on the Internet, there are many channels to choose from, but only some of them are worthy of your time.
Here are the ones the team at Basmo found particularly interesting.
MelReads: even though the main focus of the channel is not on read with me videos, but on pretty much everything related to books and reading, there are some pretty satisfying videos you can read along on.
Justine Kape: probably one of our favorite channels, the videos you will find here are very useful and satisfying both for simple reading and studying
Pursuit of the Truth: with a somewhat different approach, the read with me videos you will find on this channel are still going to give you great satisfaction. They feature different places in nature, outdoor sounds, and a very relaxing experience.
Basmo: As much as we would like to downplay our channel and be modest about it, the truth is that you will get access to pretty amazing content if you subscribe. And that includes a couple of read with me videos we created with you, the modern reader, in mind.
Not only will you get the same satisfaction as with other similar videos, but you will be able to also enjoy the added twist of seeing exactly how our app works and how it can help you.
Final thoughts
Read with me and study with me videos are quite an interesting phenomenon and they can have amazing benefits for your reading habits. Pair them with Basmo to maximize your performance and enjoy the best reading experience you can wish for.
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