Linear printed text and nonlinear hypertext compete for the attention of children and adults. The article will focus on the problems of reading in the new digital reality associated with the emergence of new format texts and changing reading practices. This issue is becoming relevant, as digital reading begins to prevail over traditional, which has an impact on individual readers and on the education system as a whole. This problem remains insufficiently studied in the social Sciences. The first part of the article discusses the possible social and pedagogical consequences of the transition to digital reading in education. A review of scientific research on the problem shows that children understand texts better if they read them on paper. One reason for this is the different purposes with which we read printed and digital texts. Screen reading is more often a means to communicate or to find information, with the result that the mechanism of digital reading can be defined as «read-slip» as opposed to a slower, thoughtful immersion in printed text. The modern education system should provide conditions for the formation of double literacy: traditional and new, which will allow to understand the deep and complex things presented in digital and printed format. The results of the empirical study of reading practices of fourth grade students will be presented in the second part of the article.

Цель исследования -выяснить отношение современных российских инженеров к своей профессии, чтобы понять, что делает их профессиональный выбор устойчивым, в чем для них заключается привлекательность выбранной профессии.

The article centers on the problems of reading in the new digital reality associated with the appearance of texts of a new digital format and the changed reading practices. This issue becomes topical, as digital reading starts to prevail over traditional which affects individual readers and the educational system. We conducted a pilot study of the reading skills of fourth-grade students (106 people) and analysed their reading practices. Testing according to the method of L. Yasyukova showed that most pupils (70%) have incomplete reading skills. Our respondents spend more time on digital reading (searching for information and communicating with friends on the Internet) as compared to reading paper books. In classes where pupils spend more time on the Internet, a larger percentage of pupils showed incomplete reading skills. Based on the data obtained, we formulated a hypothesis that requires further verification. The time spent by pupils on the Internet and the amount of digital reading may affect the level of understanding of texts on paper.