Like most people in my 20's, I have grown up with, and even become dependent on technology in my day to day life. In many ways, it simply makes sense. But are there any instances where our so-called technological "advances" aren't really all that advantageous to our future? Is progress solely for the name of progress really beneficial?
For me, there is one hard exception to this rule, and that is in the case of paper books versus electronic book readers. I can't help but to think of the old adage, "if it's not broken, don't fix it" and wonder if e-readers aren't just an attempt to fix and unbroken system. With that in mind, here are five succinct reasons that old fashioned, paper books trump electronic copies:
1. Books are tangible.
Woah. Damn near Earth shattering fact there, B. But as obvious as that seems, it is still a point often taken for granted. Take a moment to consider the fact that when you open the cover to a book and feel the binding respond, it is a physical testament to the fact that you are the first person to ever open its pages. That alone is something you can never experience in an e-book. When you opt for an electronic copy, you lose the magnitude of the fact that you are physically holding some person's life's work in your hands. Someone labored over that story for months or even years and now, here you are, with some small part of that same passion seeping through the pages of your book.
2. You engage your senses.
Besides physically holding a book, you interact with it. Yes, you see it and feel it, but more than that, you're able to hear the crisp turning of the pages and smell the comforting, earthy aroma that's entirely unique to books. Altogether, this all adds up to the fact that you experience a book, not just read it. With electronic copies, you deprive yourself of some of the senses, and instead, confine this beautiful prose to simply being a set of words on a screen. In a way, I think of any of these e-readers as tantamount to gift cards; yes, you can technically hold it and practically speaking, it's helpful. But ultimately, it's cold, impersonal, and simply a vessel, rather than an experience in itself.
3. You choose each book with purpose.
A book is produced with the sole purpose being to end up in your lap at the end of the day, and you, personally, have the power to choose which book that will be. Really think about that. Rather than simply being another instantaneous whim as you haphazardly click, you purposefully pick a book off the shelf, and in that small seemingly insignificant action, you've marked that book as your own. That book, that specific copy, was formed and created with the sole purpose of winding up in your possession. An electronic copy belongs only to the author, but a book belongs to you.
4. It's an escape from a screen-obsessed society.
In a world ruled by television, phone, and computer screens, books provide a moment of respite from our glowing obsession. They make you pause in our otherwise chaotic world and put our screens down. For a moment, we have the power to ignore the constant buzz of social media and instant communication in exchange for peace and quiet--and maybe a warm patch of sunlight to curl up in. We all know the dangers of excessive screen exposure, so I have to ask--why, in our right minds would we choose to add yet another screen to draw us in, one by one, like bugs being lured to our glowing demise?
5. A book tells a story, completely separate from that which is written in its pages.
Books become beaten, battered, and torn but that's the beauty of them. They show with tangible proof that you, and it, have lived. It has creased pages and coffee spills and the binding has been a bit worn, but it holds memories. We as humans gather our own scars and blemishes we proudly display as trophies to prove that we've lived. Books, too show their own marks of use. In this way, books tell stories that electronic copies simply can't; they are able to whisper memories of your own past and share a narrative of joy, sadness, growth and most of all--life.
Ultimately, I suppose it all boils down to being a debate of quality versus convenience. And maybe I'm overly nostalgic. Maybe I'm a romantic. Hell, maybe I'm just stubborn. It's possible, after all. But for me, as long as I live, I will believe that you can never to experience the spirit of the story quite like you can with words on a simple, old-fashioned, paper book.
