Discussion About Semiotic Domains

In class last Tuesday we started off the discussion with the quote, "Reading is not only a mental or cognitive act, but it is profoundly a sociable practice" and as we continued to discussed we decided that this quote was saying that we read in order to interact with the people who know the same topic. When I heard this quote and after the discussion I had mix feelings about what it was trying to say. At first I really liked the quote and thought it explained the way we are perfectly. I thought about how many times people may read a certain book or magazine or maybe watch a certain show in order to fit in and communicate with others who enjoy that same subject or are a part of a particular affinity group. Then I also felt a negative feeling toward this quote. I disagreed with this thought because I feel that often times we watch a show or read a book for our own personal pleasure and not for the reason of communication with others in a certain group of interest. I also thought about how a lot of us will just engage in a certain media because we are forced to or expected to for a certain group or class. So, althought I agree with this quote I also believe that it is false and that we participate in material for our own pleasure.