Tag Archives: the future of the book

The text I chose to read is an article in The Economist titled From Papyrus to Pixels, the article focuses primarily on the on going debate and arguments about the “future of the book.” I read a digital copy of the article online. I find that digital copies are easier to find and easier to get access to. However, if I am studying or taking notes I have to have a printed copy of the material in front of my eyes to further grasp what I am reading. If I just read an article on my phone or iPad I can’t remember the last two sentences. As opposed to a printed article where I can fold the page or highlight it myself with a traditional highlighter. It all depends on what I am reading. I love to read various fanfictions online. I normally dislike reading of any sort but I can spend hours reading good fan-fictions on my phone. In my case I am a bit contradicted on my views of printed text and digital text. The article emphasizes that many people are worried about what technology has and will continue to do for the future of books. We are in a digital age where some people may prefer to read traditional hard copy books, whilst others may just stream books on their devices. I agree with the following quote, “books are not just “tree flakes encased in dead cow”, as a scholar once wryly put it. They are a technology in their own right” (The Economist). I don’t think that books will ultimately disappear into thin air or that people will just do away with it. Books serve to be a prominent aspect of our history and there will always be someone who just prefers the smell of a new book or the feeling of turning a page.