I HEART YA #9: Digital vs Print. Can You Choose?
Welcome to the 9th weekly I HEART YA Blog Carnival! I HEART YA is a Blog Carnival for readers, writers, and lovers of young adult fiction. Every Tuesday there will be a blogging prompt that celebrates my favorite reading genre --YA fiction. Bloggers are invited to write their own take on the topic and post a link in the comment section, or if you prefer just put your thoughts in the comments. Either way, if you own a blog, grab the button to show your pride, and add your link to the list below. If you're not sure what to do, go to the I HEART YA tab for more details.
Everyone has heard the predictions that print books are becoming things of the past. There are also predictions that they're a "phase", that in the end readers will still crave, and cling to, their print books.
If I had to make a prediction today, I'd be inclined to say that digital media will be the norm in a hundred years. We are raising a generation of media-sophisticates after all. As our phones and tablets become as powerful as a desktop computer, and the gadgets become embedded in our children's tiny hands, it's hard to believe our society would travel in any other direction.
But with that said, I do believe (or hope?) there will always be a place for print books - though I suspect they will be more along the lines of coffee table books, children's illustrated books, and the classics used purely for decoration. I imagine a hundred years from now a print book will be something special--perhaps because it is an antique, or something that the reader purposefully bought.
But I also imagine that a shelf full of harlequin romances will be as archaic in a hundred years as a shelf full of video tapes is today.
You notice I keep saying a hundred years? Between now and then--I don't know. I don't think print is disappearing any time in the near future. Personally I'm in the camp that still likes to hold a print book. In fact, as long as I'm making confessions I ought to go ahead and admit that I don't even own an e-reader. It's just not very practical for a writer. But I do have a netbook which works nicely for both reading and writing. I also have my phone. Between the two I do a lot of digital reading. And I'm willing to bet an e-reader won't be too far away in my future.
While I can't imagine giving up the anticipation of opening a brand-new paperback, I suspect the generation just coming up will develop a similar passion for downloading their latest read.
So what about you? Are you fully digital? Standing strong with print? Or somewhere in-between? And what's your prediction for the reading experience a hundred years from now?
And don't forget: 1. Add your link to the linkytool (Only once is necessary. Links will be removed after two months of not participating.) 2. Add your link to the comment section so we know you participated this week. 3. Grab the button if you haven't already. 4. Check out the other blog posts. Ready...set...go!
Everyone has heard the predictions that print books are becoming things of the past. There are also predictions that they're a "phase", that in the end readers will still crave, and cling to, their print books.
If I had to make a prediction today, I'd be inclined to say that digital media will be the norm in a hundred years. We are raising a generation of media-sophisticates after all. As our phones and tablets become as powerful as a desktop computer, and the gadgets become embedded in our children's tiny hands, it's hard to believe our society would travel in any other direction.
But with that said, I do believe (or hope?) there will always be a place for print books - though I suspect they will be more along the lines of coffee table books, children's illustrated books, and the classics used purely for decoration. I imagine a hundred years from now a print book will be something special--perhaps because it is an antique, or something that the reader purposefully bought.
But I also imagine that a shelf full of harlequin romances will be as archaic in a hundred years as a shelf full of video tapes is today.
You notice I keep saying a hundred years? Between now and then--I don't know. I don't think print is disappearing any time in the near future. Personally I'm in the camp that still likes to hold a print book. In fact, as long as I'm making confessions I ought to go ahead and admit that I don't even own an e-reader. It's just not very practical for a writer. But I do have a netbook which works nicely for both reading and writing. I also have my phone. Between the two I do a lot of digital reading. And I'm willing to bet an e-reader won't be too far away in my future.
While I can't imagine giving up the anticipation of opening a brand-new paperback, I suspect the generation just coming up will develop a similar passion for downloading their latest read.
So what about you? Are you fully digital? Standing strong with print? Or somewhere in-between? And what's your prediction for the reading experience a hundred years from now?
And don't forget: 1. Add your link to the linkytool (Only once is necessary. Links will be removed after two months of not participating.) 2. Add your link to the comment section so we know you participated this week. 3. Grab the button if you haven't already. 4. Check out the other blog posts. Ready...set...go!
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