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Printed Books Are Better Than E-Books

Over the past few years, we have seen development in technology, the development of laptops, I-pads, tablets, and smartphones. This development has made a lot of things more accessible, especially in terms of apps. A lot of apps have been developed to facilitate the occurrence of different activities online. Some apps enable online ordering of food, clothes, and other goods and services. For instance, one can read a book online either by an app or getting it as a pdf document; there are many different methods. The big question is, which one is better? The printed book or the E-Book?

An old traditional book is much better compared to the e-book. A traditional book has beautiful smooth pages, and this is very lovely. The paper makes reading the book to be pleasant and fun. It is not like reading an e-book, staring at your gadget for hours, no flipping of pages, no use of sticky notes, no highlighting it just pressing buttons and swiping pages, more of an ATM feeling than a reading feeling. An antique book will depict information in a better way. A study was done on people reading e-books, and another reading a printed book showed that the one reading the printed book had a better understanding of the context of the book in terms of plot story, characters, and the message being conveyed. The one reading the printed book was also able to remember the events in a book more clearly than the one reading an e-book.

A printed book can be stored for future reference. It is much easier to keep a hardcopy of a book and be able to have a look at it later on, even if it is in fifty years. The buyer can have the book for an entire lifetime, and it can be passed on to the next generation. Looking at e-books, it is tough to say the same thing about it. Technology is always changing, and something new is ever being introduced. Apart from that, a device with an e-book can get a virus, and the books may be lost. The e-book is not easy to store and keep for future reference.

A print book is a memory. It is a reminder of what you have read. By reading the book, one can keep the hard books they have read as a memory, as a form of remembrance. When looking at a book after reading it, the reader will have memories of how it was like to read the book. An e-book is just an e-book. You cannot look at an e-book and hug it as a way to cherish the memories; you just look at it. Sometimes, an e-book can be deleted or lost. There are no emotions tied to an e-book.

A printed book is advisable because it does not impose a risk on the health of the reader. A study made by A Harvard Medical School showed that reading an e-book is hazardous to the health of the reader, especially when the reader reads the book before sleeping. This is because the light emitted by the book interferes with the ability of the reader to sleep. This disrupts the sleeping habit of the reader. This will affect the alertness of the reader in the morning. This will affect the overall health of the reader. It is also advisable not to stare at gadgets for an extended period of time. An e-book is read on a device, which is emitting light. This is not healthy; it may harm the eyesight of the reader.

In summary, an antique book is much better than an e-book. Research and statistics are in favor of this opinion. It is not that it is against technology; it is about the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction obtained through the reading process. Reading is a process meant to gather information, having fun, learning new things, and sharing knowledge, as well as staying healthy. All this can be obtained through reading a traditional book. Reading an e-book does not give all the qualities mentioned above.

References;

Hoang, T. H., & Nguyen, N. (2018). Why Do University Students Refrain from Using E-

Books in Libraries? Empirical Evidence from Vietnam. Publishing Research Quarterly,

34(4), 568-572.

Millar, M., & Schrier, T. (2015). Digital or printed textbooks: which do students prefer and

why?. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 15(2), 166-185.

Myrberg, C. (2017). Why doesn’t everyone love reading e-books?.