The Written Word, as Opposed to The Electronic One

Well, the times they certainly have a-changed. As technology advances more and more, it would not be surprising if books should one day solely be available in an electronic form, perhaps barring those found in libraries. As with music, more books are found first on the internet to be either downloaded or bought, thereafter in a hard copy form in a store. The way of the future is clearly virtual first and foremost.

As more people have gotten access to the internet, whether it is due to owning a computer or through a highly intelligent cell phone, it has become easier and more common for people to become electronically literate. It has also become more environmentally friendly for those with book fetishes to buy or download online than to buy a hardcover or paperback version. When something is downloaded or saved on a PC, it nullifies the need to have the document on paper – it can simply be viewed on a PC. And the forests can certainly do without being cut down unnecessarily.

Although it may be more affordable for the consumer to buy electronic books, the market can be lucrative for the business online as well as the author. The publishing house on the other hand would be more at a loss if the author does not want to publish hard copies at all and choose to sell completely through the internet and independently. Currently, both avenues are still being used, but electronic is the first choice. It simply comes down to if authors want to keep up with the times and remain current, the more viable option is to go electronic. The internet also has a way to spread information and to reach a greater audience than word of mouth is able to in the same amount of time.

But, there will always remain those who do not necessarily oppose change and progress, but prefer the familiar.

It is fonder to remember days of sitting in front of a fire curled up underneath a warm blanket with a hot cup of cocoa reading a book than if the ‘reading a book’ part was replaced by ‘reading an e-book on a Kindle’. It just does not have the same ring to it. For most, habits are borne out of small things such as reading a chapter or two before bed, and old habits are hard to break as the saying goes.

Many activities that allow for leisurely reading will definitely not be the same when it requires a paperback novel to be replaced by a Kindle, laptop, etc., especially when the environment does not quite suite the act of reading. It will also be a bit strange to not carry around a book in its’ conventional form, but rather as an electronic device. In some ways, the leisure will be taken out of ‘leisurely reading’ when an important factor such as from what is being read is changed drastically. 

Similarly, classic literature such as Tolstoy’s War and Peace would be somewhat strange in an electronic form. For a book originally published in 1869 and regarded as one of the greatest books, it would certainly have come a long way if people read it not as a thousand-paged book, but as a book in a virtual format. Books in general, especially those dated back hundreds of years, which have been entrenched in history as great works of literature/ fiction/ etc. are for sentimental reasons more appealing as sheets of paper bound together to be enjoyed and grow dusty as it ages even more, than those in virtual reality where a click of a mouse or a scroll of a finger is needed to turn a page.

Technology certainly is progressing faster than most are able to keep track of where it is even heading. New, faster, better ways are constantly thought of to do everything better and faster than previously done. And then some.

Still, some things, for various and polar reasons, are perhaps best left as is. Even if it is for sentimental purposes.