When I first became aware of the invention of electronic reader's and tablets I was fascinated at how practical and versatile they were, especially when it came to storing reading content. However, I assumed that these new devices were not going to pose a significant threat to traditional printed media immediately, since it would take widespread sales and time for people to adopt such a drastic change. I was proved wrong when I realized that e-readers/tablets quickly became quite affordable and the public had rapidly embraced digital reading content over printed material. This rapid turn of events has given rise to the debate over whether printed literacy media (especially novels and textbooks) will soon be supplanted by digital literacy media. My brother and I have had this debate several times as we continue to recognize the prevalence of e-readers/tablets in society and how digital versions of reading content have practically become second nature in the arena of publications.
Now day, readers have access to an ever-increasing variety of literacy media ranging from novels, newspapers, magazines, and recently even textbooks. Large bookstore companies such as Barnes & Noble have suffered unprecedented losses in sales due to the common reader's preference to now download new reading content on to their e-readers/tablets. Barnes & Noble in particular has even introduced its own tablet product to compensate for sales losses caused by other tablet brands. As a college student, if I had the option of downloading all my textbooks onto my mobile reading device, I would absolutely choose this alternative over having to carry heavy loads of books to class. Regarding the public school classroom, if all textbooks were made available in digital versions it would certainly alleviate the problem of students receiving or returning books in destitute conditions.
What do you believe will occur to novels, textbooks, and other printed media in the years to come?
I think they'll still exist but there won't be as many publishers as there are now.
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