In a world gone tech, it seems that very few aspects of private or professional life have remained unaffected by the massive accumulation of personal devices now available to the average consumer. One of the many activities enhanced through the application of modern technology is the simple pleasure of reading, revolutionized by the growing usage of e-books. By granting people the ability to retain significant quantities of printable media electronically on any compatible device, e-books are changing the way the world reads.
Opposition to the widespread usage of e-books as a general replacement for the more classical mediums of print, that is physical books, stems from the perception that the satisfaction resulting from of the act of reading is partially yet inextricably tied to existence of physical pages. But while the final act turning the last page of an especially long book can be a gratifying experience, it does not really influence the impact appreciation for what has been read. The only factor affecting a person’s response to what they read, positive or negative, is the words themselves; the media in which the words are read is irrelevant.
Yet so many advantageous features are available with the introduction of e-books. Reading in darker settings is more convenient when a bright backlit screen is included, as it is with some types of e-readers. And reading anywhere becomes a much simpler task with the ability to adjust the font size at will. But these rewards are relatively negligible when compared to the principle gain to be reaped through the use of e-books, that is, the impressive capacity of most e-reader models.
My first awareness of e-readers and their general existence was in late 2008, when Sony was boasting via magazine article that the new model being launched was not only capable of storing the entire Harry Potter series, but had the scope to do so three times. While back then I considered this to be a semi-extraordinary feat, current e-reader models are capable of even greater exploits in the area of literary storage.
Though the specific rationalities for requiring this measure of access to books and other forms of printed media are widely varied, there is a consistency to the overall tone; people either need or desire the access to the contents of more books, articles, reports, etc. than they can physically carry with any sense of ease. Which, when considered frankly, is not surprising. In our modern times people are demanding more from all other aspects of both professional tools and personal entertainment. More features, more memory, and more compact. And all to heighten the work efficiency or enhance the relaxation periods of today’s busy people.
Simply thinking about the potential of e-books always brings out the miserly student in me. Consider the standard practice adapted each term with regard to textbooks, that is, make purchases only when it is absolutely necessary and professor-ordered to do so. But always remain extra-vigilant when and where this book is used, it can be a bit awkward to just tote around without a care. And be sure to find a buyer and sell it off when the term ends, or else you could wind up stuck with a whole box of old textbooks by the time five years are up. Is this ordeal really the best option available? In my estimation, renting the electronic and highly-portable additions of textbooks from the Bookstore on a termly basis makes more sense overall.
It is also important to consider the possible implications in terms of the environment. While I can’t bring myself to deem the physical publication of books as wasteful or unnecessary, the fact remains that we live in a consumerist culture in which most everyone wants to own things. If this attitude is to continue its reign sustainably, we have to re-evaluate how we choose to own things. Practically speaking, e-books a whole will require less material to be used in the manufacturing of its components than that required for the individual publication of the equivalent volumes it will hold while in use. But more significantly, e-books also require less in distribution resources because e-books are available for download directly to the given device, no shipping needed.
And can it really be said that reading via e-book will disrupt the natural experience we associate with reading via real book? To be fair, yes, the experience will be different; but any kind of experience is subject to an ongoing evolution. Before there was widespread knowledge of written language, stories were dictated orally. Prior to the development of the printing press books were hand written and illustrated. Yet neither of these advances, that is, written language or its mass production, are said to have ruined the process of storytelling. They simply changed the manner in which it could be perceived.
Everything in existence has been and will continue to be phased adjusted from its status quo, after which the superior process is adopted and the substandard is left obsolete. It is an unbroken cycle which ensures that we continue to progress in all areas of our society. And given the current state of our culture, e-books will be the preferred medium of literature in the coming years.
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