Story on Morning Edition on NPR
Ten years ago, few imagined that by decade’s end, people would be reading novels on cell phones. A lot has changed in the book world.
“Over the last couple of years, I’ve really noticed if I sit down with a book, after a few paragraphs, I’ll say, ‘You know, where’s the links?
Where’s the e-mail? Where’s all the stuff going on?’ ” says writer Nicholas Carr. “And it’s kind of sad.”
Carr says he’s thought of himself as a serious reader all his life, but in an article in The Atlantic, he argued that the Internet is training us to read in a distracted and disjointed way. But does that mean writers will have to change the way they write to capture the attention of an audience accustomed to this new way of reading? Carr thinks the answer is yes, and he looks to the past to make his point.
It All Depends…
I believe the generation gap might be looked at here….
I’m 50+ and those new fangled electronic contraptions are very difficult for me to see….not only that I’m not comfortable holding them and staring at such a tiny screen…..I do not read paperbacks very often either.
I use my e-mail, yes…..however, I still also write letters on beautiful stationary, it’s so much more personal and shows a tad bit more of caring… But that’s just my old self.
Holding a book is also (for me) still more personal. Some how I find it “warmer’ for lack of a better word and should I drop it in the bathtub, it costs much less to replace.
I do not want an electronic reader….I don’t want to pay to read a piece of writing (it’s not really a book [n.], you know) on a small hand held screen….. When I want to purchase a book, I do so, because it is something I want to keep otherwise I’ll go to the library and borrow what I want…no cost there.
>^..^<
not every device has a tiny screen
The Kindle has a screen equal in size to a paperback book. You can also enlarge the font so it is easier to read than a regular book.