Review of Literature |
In today’s American society, few people can claim that their life is not consumed by media, technology, and social networking. It would seem as though “old-fashioned” hobbies such as picking up a book to read would be a lost art with the constant vibrations of our phones going off every other five minutes. However, research indicates that this may not be the case. While less and less people are picking up a physical book to read, Kindles, e-books, and tablets are rising in popularity (Minzesheimer).
From an economic stand point, e-books are a much more profitable alternative despite the disregard of copyright policies and potential pirating opportunities. The book business as a whole will not be dying out any time soon, since the industry has seen an almost $2 billion increase from 2008 to 2012 alone (Hughes). This proves that people may not be reading physical books as much as before, people are still reading. A recent study has shown that American youths are still picking up books to read, although it was found that most preferred e-books over print copies if they had the access (Zickuhr). Modern technology is encouraging more people to read a particular book when they learn about it through social media (Johnson). Sites dedicated to discussions and forum boards allow people from all over the world to share their thoughts and opinions about popular novels. They also help people who want to read easily find the most popular books in their favorite genres with only a few clicks and taps. Despite where all the research and numbers are pointing for our future, old-fashioned books are still currently the dominant medium for reading, countless people still prefer print books with the memories and nostalgia that come with the overall experience (Bibeau). Inevitably, the way people read and why people are evolving as technology evolves, but the reasons behind why people read remains very much the same. |