In a world of constant technological advances, kindles and e-readers
are common. E-books can be convenient, but they are still subpar to
physical copies of books.
Nothing is better
than the weight of a book in my hands. The sounds of turning pages
and closing the book provide a satisfaction e-readers just can’t
offer.
Seeing shelves full
of books is much more fulfilling than a couple screens of book
covers. Likewise, flipping freshly printed pages is so much better
than tapping the right side of the
screen. That
new-book smell doesn’t come with e-books.
Reading on
electronic devices can negatively affect a student’s retention.
According to Scientific American, most of the content is often lost
because readers tend to skim when they’re given information in a
digital format.
In order to retain
information, people must read for long undisturbed chunks of time,
according to Medical Daily.
Readers are more
grounded in the material when they read it in print.
Aside from digital
eye strain, reading electronically can lead to headaches or neck pain
in extreme cases. According to ABC News, nearly 70 percent of adults
reported having these symptoms.
While an e-reader
would save space in our stuffed backpacks, learning to keep a
physical book intact shows responsibility and cleanliness. Physical
books are easier to damage, but taking proper care of books is a good
way to practice organizational skills.
Although e-books
tend to be cheaper and make it possible to read in the dark, we need
to spend time reading physical books because we already spend enough
time staring at screens. Whether it be emails, Canvas notifications,
Buzzfeed articles or the latest Twitter fights, college students read
plenty on various devices.
E-books don’t need
to add to that.
Reading in the dark
may seem like a great perk of e-books, but studies have shown that
reading with an e-reader before bed is detrimental to one’s sleep
pattern.
A study done at
Harvard University found that people who read with a screen before
sleeping couldn’t fall asleep as fast, didn’t sleep as deeply,
and were more fatigued in the morning than those who read a physical
book.
College students
cherish the little sleep they get between classes, homework and other
activities. In order to make it even better, pick up a book to read
and escape from all the electronic distractions.
Books offer an
escape from our fast-paced, distraction-filled world. Holding up a
book is a universal signal for being off limits during reading time.
Nobody will bother a book reader unless it’s absolutely urgent.
On the other hand,
reading an e-book doesn’t always look like reading because it’s
on an electronic device. The internet world can’t tell when someone
is reading an e-book, so distractions pop up everywhere.
Even if it’s not
on the same device one is reading from, it’s from the smartphone
that is always nearby, if not in a pocket.