Electronic Books vs. The Written Word

With technology continually developing and expanding, some say it is inevitable that the eBook will eventually arrive to take our day to day tasks one step further into the future. However, with the arrival of the eBook and the ever busy minds behind the scenes looking to develop and improve the latest models, does this signal the death of the classic paper book?

As a personal fan of the paper back, I see no appeal to snuggling up on a sofa with an eBook, having to worry whether I'll damage it as I chuck it into my bag, use it as a coaster for my mug of tea or leave it on the beach as the sea begins to creep in.

Whereas a paper book can be bought really cheaply or exchanged through friends and family, eBooks are constantly being updated, resulting in newer/slimmer/more advanced models flooding the market. Unlike paper books which can be recycled, should eBooks become more and more popular, they will create an accumulation of electronic waste as a result.

Any time an object can be re-used or re-sold, it is automatically greener than something that can't be. Some used books are barely worth one pound; others can even become collectors' items and be worth a substantial amount after time. The downside to paperback books is if they go out of print it can become very expensive and difficult to obtain a copy, whilst with an eBook, it can be offered indefinitely, without it ever going ‘out of print'.

An eBook may be considered a luxury product, which as a result could defer people from reading or reminiscing forgotten education. For those of us who want to delve back to our school days or revive a forgotten subject, a trip to the second hand book shop or library can easily cure our curiosities. A book can also always be passed on to someone else who might appreciate it, as there is no guilt in passing on a book you once received as a gift, after you've finished reading it. Should someone be kind enough to give you an expensive eBook as a gift, I wouldn't think that they would be too happy if you passed it on not long after receiving it. For me, it would probably end up gathering dust on a shelf (along with all of my DVDs).

Further disadvantages are that eBooks require electrical power to function. A paper book will never "turn off" and will always be readable in remote areas without electricity. Then there is the question of technical hardware and software faults, personal computer incompatibility or maybe a hacker attempting to steal your latest edition of the number one seller.

Just imagine, as you eagerly await the final chapter of the story that you've been anticipating for the past one hundred pages, then suddenly..... the battery dies......or the screen freezes and ‘Sorry content unavailable' appears on your screen. Not a problem for us paper book lovers, we can easily turn the page and discover the final piece of the story, free from any electronic malfunctions or glitches. That is unless a tea stain happens to have smudged some of the vital words or even worse, if the page has fallen out!! Something I have had many unfortunate experiences with and a very annoying flaw with paper books!!

Of course I'm not so naive in failing to recognize that there are wonderful advantages to the eBook as well. I can remember carrying a heavy school bag filled with textbooks and notebooks for various subjects, conveniently leaving the heaviest books behind just so I could physically lift in onto my shoulder. But most importantly, I certainly did not wish to cause any damage to my totally impractical, yet highly fashionable schoolbag!

As we move into the 21st century, I believe the eBook will become a significant advantage for the education system, especially for students attending Secondary School who may at times, be studying as many as eight different subjects. Paper weights a lot, and the more a book weighs the more expensive (and less green) it costs to manufacture and deliver. A single eBook containing several books is easier to carry around (less weight, volume and size) as well costing next to nothing to create.

eBooks can also enable non-permanent highlighting and annotations, as well as the ability to enlarge fonts past standard large-print size. eBook websites can include the ability to translate books into many different languages, and texts can be searched automatically and cross referenced using hyperlinks. In the future it may become possible for animated images or multimedia clips to be embedded within the text, which could become a real advantage in teaching as a visual teaching aid.

Another issue, is that with the regular use of technology screens on a day to day basis due to computers, laptops and mobile phones, is our way of reading still the same? Does our brain prefer to accept information via printed sources or artificially lit screens? Will eBooks be considered more efficient than the traditional printed text as the technology in schools grows more and more advanced? Or would wearing glasses become a familiar sight as our eyes slowly deteriorate from the constant use of artificial screens?

What's the bottom line?

Ultimately, the decision rests with the reader. Should you read books more than once, collect them, trade them, enjoy that photograph of birds in flight on the front cover, or just enjoy the feel of a paper book in your hand; traditional books are still the way to go. But if you only read books once, don't want to worry about how to dispose them, read a lot for business or school and want to avoid postal costs (include greenhouse gases), then becoming an eBook reader might just be one of the best choices you will ever make.