It's more than just book vs. e-book

Writing and its accompanying devices are undoubtedly the one medium that has changed the most in the past few decades. From print to typing and now even texting, writing is changing and will continue to change. Some even claim that because of the differences in tools with which we use to write and read, we process the information differently and therefore, think differently. Jay David Bolt touches upon this idea briefly in a section of his book, “Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print”.

Although the majority of his piece delves into questioning the reason for the importance of print over digitized writing and their subsequent relationship, what I found to be the most interesting was his concept of writing space. Whether it’s the papyrus scroll of ancient Egypt or the high-speed computer of the 21st century, our thoughts are being brought to life in ways oral tradition would never allow.

Along the same lines of the importance of writing space and its effects on both the writer and reader, Claire Lamont uses annotations and their effects on the reader to claim her importance of writing space. With changes in all forms of writing, it is no surprise that something like annotations would also change in the form of hypertexts. Lamont questions what effects these hypertexts, which can extend from a page of a website to an entire video, could have on the understanding and experience of a reader. Evidently, the writing space of the computer could have some implications in that this new hypertext-induced reading experience could either provide more information than ever or, as Lamont fears, make the reader stray from the original text.

Based on the above sources, today’s reading experience is not just a matter of book versus e-book or print versus digital. It is an altogether different challenge on how we want to read and learn. We should no longer focus on the trivialities between the benefits of print (ie. Personal attachment to books, ease of use, etc.) and the benefits of digital (ie. Ease of access) but rather how we want to obtain and maintain a relationship with the author and his message. Prior to these readings, I had never given much thought to the complexities involved in writing and reading. Regardless of preferences in tools, the focus of the reading experience should definitely focus on what would best encompass that particular author's intention. For example, when reading material from areas such as a textbook, it is imperative to have as much information as possible. Therefore, the use of a digital tool such as an e-book would be extremely beneficial. One has only to type in a few keywords to expand knowledge of a certain topic. Recently, there have been increased efforts towards this digital learning experience with the accompaniment of CDs along with textbooks, interactive online learning devices, and textbook availability for tablets and e-readers.

However, although the digital reading experience would enhance learning for textbooks and other academic-based readings, it would not do the same for more literature or leisure-based reading. As mentioned by Lamont, there is a different kind of relationship formed between an author and a reader when it is a relationship founded on print. In contrast to a textbook in which the author's message is the information provided within the book, something that can also be found in numerous other textbooks and information sources, the author's message in every day literature is solely within his one book. Each word is written with both the message and the reader in mind in an attempt that not only expresses the author but also involves the reader.