The Aesthetic of Real Paper

I think technology is great. I can access whatever I want, wherever I want. It’s amazing. I can even read the daily paper on my phone or computer. And then there’s digital books, where I can read a whole book right there without touching any paper. But where’s the fun in that? Is it really that much more convenient? I actually find it to be harder to read a book on my phone or computer because of the constant distractions. But with a paper book, it’s just you and the paper.

I titled this article “the aesthetic of real paper” for a reason. I’m trying to emphasize the importance, for lack of a better word, of actually putting your hands on the physical object of a book or newspaper. I personally hate reading things on a screen unless it’s a quick article from the New York Times. Even then, I’d rather hold the newspaper in my hands, flipping through the pages. The same goes for a book. I recently took out a book from the library that was just released in 2017. The paper is still smooth, I can tell I’m the first to read it. It’s truly an exciting feeling.

I will probably never hop on the digital reading train. The hard physical copy will always be better than the digital copy. Even though the New York Timesis $3.00 per paper without a subscription, I prefer that over reading articles online any day. And even though, often times, an ebook is cheaper than the hard copy, I’ll pay that few extra dollars because to me, it’s worth it. I’d rather flip the page than swipe the screen. As a testament to that, I don’t even have any ebooks on any of my devices. I just don’t like reading them.

In a short and sweet summary, real paper beats screen any day. Whether it be flipping through a good book, or trying to figure out how not to rip the newspaper, that’s where I’ll stay. Recently I read that the New York Times is down on paper subscriptions. Nothing worthy of concern for their survival as a paper, but sad in another way. It means people are reading the articles online and not buying the paper as much. With the dawn of the digital age, a lot has changed, but I don’t think our reading habits should be one of those things.