Reading Audio Readers

This computational analysis of audiobook consumption patterns offers a rare glimpse into what people actually listen to through digital streaming platforms, using massive reader data to challenge our understanding of contemporary literary culture. Berglund leverages the kind of user behavior tracking typically reserved for tech companies to answer fundamental questions about how and when people engage with audiobooks, tracking consumption patterns across hundreds of thousands of readers at unprecedented granularity. The research provides empirical evidence about reading habits in the digital age, moving beyond speculation to show what titles people truly complete and how listening behaviors differ from traditional reading.

What makes this study distinctive is its methodological approach—applying data science techniques to literary consumption on an hour-by-hour, user-by-user basis rarely available to academic researchers. Readers interested in the intersection of technology, data analytics, and literary culture will find compelling insights about how streaming platforms are reshaping reading practices. The book effectively bridges the gap between humanistic inquiry and computational analysis, offering a new framework for understanding what constitutes reading in the audio age and how digital platforms influence our engagement with literature.