The Battle Against eReaders

In an age populated with technological advancements we never deemed possible, the reasons as to why everything seems to be going digital is quite obvious. It’s more effective, it’s easier to connect with people and with objects, it’s more environmentally friendly and relieves us of many day-to-day tasks we would otherwise have to do. Despite the many benefits technology has proven to bring there is still a lot of debate as to whether or not we are advancing too quickly, or if we can even trust our very own technology.

Electronic readers, eReaders for short, tend to be at the head of one particular ongoing debate, “Are eReaders better than hard copy books?” I tend to see this argument quite often in literature forums and YouTube videos and so I have decided to address it in this blogpost. So, what even is an eReader? eReaders are devices usually no bigger than the average book and no thicker than your smartphone which have the capability of storing thousands of books at a time. These eReaders tend to have:

· Backlights that allow reading in the dark

· A minimum storage of 8GB (about 6000 books)

· Batteries that can last weeks on a single charge

· Internet access

· Built in dictionaries, encyclopedias and translators

Image source: The Verge

Upon seeing all these features and many more, it makes it hard for anyone to doubt the usability and convenience of an eReader. There are many who prefer keeping large libraries of books they'll probably never read and there will always be people who romanticize physical books. Some genuinely prefer a tangible book, one they can highlight and make annotations in, and in some cases, a physical book may be better than an eReader. A physical textbook, in most cases, is better than a digital version or a textbook on a kindle; they can be annotated in, they can be quickly flipped to, and their size is ideal for learning and reading.

If you are already accustomed to reading hard copy versions of books, it may be difficult to make the adjustment. However if you're only just getting into reading, you may find it particularly beneficial to buy an eReader. At the end of the day, it all boils down to preference.