Natalie Barletta – Special to the Southern News
Reading a book has come a long way from being on ink and paper. Thanks to the advances in new technology, we can now get books on our phones, iPads, and e-readers such as Nook or Kindle. Many disagree with that, but e-readers have a number of advantages over buying a paperback from Barnes and Noble.
First of all, having an e-reader can help your impact on the environment. By using an e-reader, you cut down on the usage of trees for paper. Trees provide oxygen, and by cutting them down we are ruining the air. In addition to the the amount of paper it uses, it also helps with the carbon footprint that we leave for tomorrow’s generation. To go to a bookstore, you have to get in your car and go to the store. Our cars’ emission fuels go into the air, which is worsening air pollution. By getting an e-reader, we eliminate that problem altogether. Since the books get directly downloaded to our device, we wouldn’t even have to leave our home. Plus, with the rise of gas prices, who wouldn’t want to cut back on driving?
Having an e-reader is more convenient than a paperback or hardcover. Carrying five or six books can get to be heavy. However, on a reading device it’s no sweat. You can easily store over a dozen books on a wafer thin device. Going on a long drive? Just charge your e-reader, and you have your entire library at your fingertips. The iPod and the e-reader have the same qualities. Although they help you access different types of media, they both offer the same concept; having your entire library collection available at your fingertips, whether it’s literature or music.
When the iPod came out in 2001, many wondered if that was going to replace actually owning physical CDs. Some protested about what it was doing to the music industry. In 2013, it has become the norm to see people with headphones walking around on campus.
Now that these devices for reading are out, everyone has that same opinion. I think that in about ten years, most of the books that we read will be on a tablet. We’ve entered the digital age, where everything is online, and everyone has become obsessed with gadgets. Will reading actual books become a part of our past? Maybe. But remember this, CDs are still being sold in stores everywhere such as Target, Walmart, and FYE. Bookstores like Barnes and Noble will still exist, selling actual books for everyone. Why? I think because there is a still a market for actual media, not just virtual.
Although one may argue that these are not the same as reading a normal book, I believe that this will be the future of reading. Welcome to the future.
