Week 6’s symposium debated the question, ‘Do you think the digitalisation of literary texts and the use of the E-reader will eventually replace the physical book completely?’ Adrian stated that ‘the book’ is 400 years old and “to think it’s going to hang around for ever is incredibly naïve.” He believes the book is a temporary technology and texts are already dead.
As mentioned in my previous post Douglas, I don’t believe that books are dead or will become dead. Yes, I can concede that most books will adopt a digitalised form. This makes practical sense for large texts, like manuals and VCE books. Additionally, digital books will minimise environmental impacts and that is oh so trendy. But, there will always be a place for books.
Books will most likely become a more boutique thing. They will become more beautiful, more of a collector’s item as with coffee table books. This will only increase the cultural value of books. For centuries, we have identified books as symbols of knowledge. We value them as gifts and give them to children as soon as they are born. All over the world, there are huge libraries which house books. These structures and their contents are often protected under heritage listings. This and the value society places on them, means they will not disappear.
As mentioned by Brian, the E-reader is only a small transformation and it is still early days. There will no doubt be other transformations, but E-readers will not be the demise of books. He provides the example of music and its many different forms – vinyl, cassette tape, CD, iTunes, YouTube etc. – to highlight how a technology can evolve and adapt. The same goes for theatre which DID NOT disappear with the advent of film. On a side note, can you imagine a Priest and their congregation reading scripture from E-readers rather than the Bible? Somehow this seems unlikely.
If reading for pleasure, I cannot fathom why anyone would choose an E-reader over a REAL book. I love the smell and feel of books. I love receiving them as gifts, and finding a note written in the title page. Wherever I live, I always have a large bookshelf. It’s decoration, a talking piece, somewhere I can see memories. I love lending books to others, and having them scrawl comments or definitions throughout the pages. I love the look of old, worn-out books that have been read again and again or passed down through generations. But, I also love buying new books and the thrill I get from bending back the front cover and creasing the spine. I will NEVER EVER curl up next to the fire with an E-reader, how unromantic. Some things are best left unchanged.