Abstract In the contemporary, interconnected landscape of the 21st century, the concept of reading skills has evolved beyond the confines of traditional print media to encompass a diverse range of online resources. This transformation has significantly altered conventional reading practices among individuals. The current study is designed to explore the impact of internet browsing proclivity on the reading skills of English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners and more specifically to enhance a deeper understanding of the role that digital literacy plays in language acquisition within a networked community. In this respect, a cohort of 40 intermediate learners, aged 14-18 years, was randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. The participants in the experimental group engaged in an intervention that involved reading materials through internet browsing, while the control group continued to receive instruction through traditional teacher-led classroom methodologies. The results obtained from quantitative analyses demonstrated that the mean scores of the reading test of the experimental group were 29.50 prior to the implementation of web-based reading materials and increased to 34.15 following the intervention. Furthermore, qualitative data collected from interviews, along with responses from a questionnaire, indicated that a substantial number of the participants expressed a strong preference for reading through online platforms or digital devices. The findings also highlighted the importance of providing a thorough training in internet browsing techniques for both learners and educators in order to foster a more efficient integration of technology in reading instruction.
