Long live the physical book

E-books are hotly contested by people in and above my generation. We read off of screens all day, yet some of us are vehemently opposed to reading novels and textbooks in a digital format. I'm definitely one of those people—not because I see any fundamental flaw in an e-book but because the physicality of a book feels good in my hands. I suspect it's the same feeling older generations have about reading newspapers instead of using Twitter to get their news.

I enjoyed this article because it made me think about digital versus analog technologies through a different lens. I'm definitely more digitally plugged into my community rather than newspaper-oriented when it comes to informing myself, but, regarding novels, I have a soft spot for books with actual pages in them and libraries supported by brick and mortar. This analogy really sits with me because I feel like I can finally relate to the sense a person of a different generation may feel about their favorite newspaper or preferred magazine.

The chapter's thesis reads as follows: "I argue that e-books are an emergent technological form by which problems pertaining to the ownership and circulation of printed books are simultaneously posed and resolved."

I think this is a true statement as I turn to examine my own habits. While I continue to buy physical novels, I typically buy e-book versions of my textbooks to save money and pretend I'm making a positive impact on the environment. I also get all of my news aggregated to me through Twitter and Facebook in some form or fashion and feel that these platforms sufficiently inform me on current events—these habits are an example of the political, economical, social, and technical determinations that the author attributes to our shifts.

In a continuation of drawing parallels between digital and analog forms, people predicted that e-books would revolutionize the book industry back when Stephen King released the first e-book ever in the year 2000, according to the chapter. People continue to feel the same way about digital content—it will revolutionize the way we consume and sell information to each other. I'm inclined to believe this is true considering the pedestal that digital content is placed. But people who like books will continue to buy books and people who buy newspapers will continue to buy newspapers—it's hard to say whether that alone will salvage their place in the economy.