If you told me 15 years ago that books would be heavily introduced into a digital screen, I would have been baffled by the way someone could think that way.
Although here we are, displaying and reading quality literature has become a way of life from many people around the world. We are constantly exposing ourselves to screens and that is particularly how we interact and interpret new information. It certainly gets you thinking, particularly what that would mean if the need for eBooks rose exponentially over night. However, I don’t think that will happen immediately as we are all incredibly different and enjoy our reading in different settings.
I for one, prefer the hard copy when reading fictional stories. It draws me in and allows me to track my progress by looking at the spine of the book, allowing me to understand how quickly I am able to comprehend this new story and information.
I found it really interesting to observe many, many different forms of electronic literature on the organisation website (http://collection.eliterature.org/1/). It demonstrated to me that we are exploring new forms of media and comprehend and building interest based on reviews, digital advertisement and connection with other readers (particularly when looking at chat forums).
Does this mean that the hard copy will eventually be totally gone and eBooks take their place? That could be the case, only time and the evolution of reading will show that. I definitely am intrigued by the concept of total digital storytelling, which can expand multiple pathways of reading. Providing all these open-ended options is something that can influence not only the reader, but more importantly the writer, whose job becomes so much more complex as they determine where a set of characters are going to journey when brainstorming these immeasurable ideas.
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