Over the years reading a paper book has been declining in popularity rapidly. Why is that? Some might say there are bigger and better things to be doing nowadays. Some might say its the newer inventions that allow you to read it electronically. What makes reading a book electronically better than reading the hard copy of a book? All of this comes down to preference in my opinion.

Reading can be able simple as pressing which book you want to read on the screen. As technology has developed you can download as many books as you want, or as many as you can fit on your device. But what is the benefit of doing this instead of getting tons of book and storing them in your house? Well mostly the answer to that was in the question itself. How would you store so many books? Most people can’t afford to have a library in their house. Though that would be amazing, it’s just not realistic. Although technology has the same issue if you think about it. Eventually you will run out of space to download books. So, what is the real reason that everyone uses a tablet to read a book? Portability. Have you seen someone walking down the street carrying 50 books in their hands? If they were walking with 50 books on their iPad or Kindle you would never know.

On the other hand, some people love the feel of their paper book. Having it on hand to show someone or reference something can be beyond helpful. Showing someone an article or a novel on a screen can sometimes be a hassle. Personally, when it comes to have a hard copy of a textbook for classes or a downloadable copy, I would always choose a hard copy. Being able to take my book and do homework without having to pull up the downloaded PDF is nice. It can also be a pain to navigate the PDF and find the information you are trying to write about.

Ultimately, I feel the choice is yours when it comes to reading. Some would prefer the portability and ease when it comes to reading electronically. Others enjoy that new book smell and feel when reading their favorite novel. There’s no right or wrong just preference.

I feel over time, creations of other activities have also had an effect on the joy of reading for fun. In the past there was not as much to do. Now a days you can go to a water park, go to the movies, go watch a sporting event, and so many other options. When Gutenberg first invented the printing press, there was not much to do other than working. Most of the days were spent working and after work and dinner was finished most would read books that were printed. Do you feel like over time reading will become less and less popular? Or do you feel like reading will come back around? I feel like it might be the end of a era.