<b>The reader's education: between texts and hypertexts</b>

Abstract

This article is an invitation for reflection on reading in the Brazilian society. This theme is related  to a series of technological advances that enable numerous changes with respect to the way people read the world. Taken into consideration the printed text, new technologies and the generation of inferences during the reading of texts and hypertexts, focus is placed upon the importance of the reader's education and the lack of literacy among the population. The greatest concern is with those Brazilians who, although being able to read and write, are still illiterate. Despite the decreasing illiteracy figures in the country, the number of functional illiterate citizens is still high – people who have learned how to read, write and count but who do not use these skills in their day to day lives. Books, as well as computers, are technological inventions and our students must be prepared to read these signification units that create a space of interlocution. It is necessary to invest on the quality of our students' reading. In this paper, the author claims that stimulus to the production of inferences during the reading of both books and hypertexts is the  best investment for Brazil to become a really literate nation.