Has reading changed in the digital age? Are we as absorbed when reading on our screens as this young boy reading in the 1940's? Brandon Keim opens his article in Wired magazine on "deep reading" with the following observation:
"Paper books were supposed to be dead by now. For years, information theorists, marketers, and early adopters have told us their demise was imminent. Ikea even redesigned a bookshelf to hold something other than books. Yet in a world of screen ubiquity, many people still prefer to do their serious reading on paper."
When searching for a good book, I find myself returning to physical books instead of digital ones. While the evidence is not definitive, paper may provide something not delivered by a screen. Keim quotes literacy professor Anne Mangen of Norway’s University of Stavenger:
“Reading is human-technology interaction. Perhaps the tactility and physical permanence of paper yields a different cognitive and emotional experience.”
Read more (on the screen!?) at Why the Smart Reading Device of the Future May Be … Paper