Get ready to kiss your local bookstore goodbye! With the creation of new sites, apps, and tablets like iBooks, Audible, Kindles, and iPads, the need for paper books has been virtually eradicated.
But is this really a good thing? Are we all on the same page?
Apparently not. Because, according to Forbes, in 2014, it was reported that only six percent of Internet users “exclusively use Ebooks.”
And the other 94 percent? Well, they’re sticking to the classics. But why do we choose to fill our rooms and our backpacks with 20 pounds worth of books when we could just put 200 books on our kindles?
The first reason, and the most important, is that you can’t lose yourself in a screen like you can in a book. The huge screen two inches away from your face, believe it or not, is a hub for constant distractions.
How am I supposed to be casting spells with Harry Potter when my phone is continuously dinging with all the Snapchats, texts, Instagram updates, and Facebook messages that I get (because I’m that cool)? And don’t even get me started on Audible. Are you really expecting me to navigate the labyrinth while I’m cooking a frittata? I usually can’t even focus on the cooking itself because I’m too worried that the house is going to burn down.
And, speaking of distractions, what if your Kindle runs out of battery right when you’re about to find out that (spoiler alert) District 13 still exists?
Moving on to reason number two: the feels-or lack thereof. The ‘feels’ are defined on Urban Dictionary as “the wave of emotion that hits you like a truck.” The ‘feels’ are when you start sobbing because your favorite character married someone else (not you).
When you can’t speak coherently because you’re so excited about what just happened. When you can’t even function because your favorite character just died.
When you lie down, try not to cry, cry a lot. Sure, you can get emotional when you’re reading from a tablet, but where’s the evidence? Where are the tear stains on page 48? Where are the pages almost falling out because you’ve turned them so many times? Where is the mark on your wall from when you threw “Allegiant” because (spoiler alert) Tris died? It’s nowhere.
The tear stains are nonexistent because a screen doesn’t soak up water. There are no pages in the first place, so none of them are falling out. And there’s no dent in the wall because an Ipad is probably not something that you want to be throwing in the first place.
So how are you supposed to remember these moments? How are you supposed to remember the ‘feels?’
And what about cliffhangers? How do you expect me to angrily slam my book shut if all I have is an iPad? Do I just stab the home button viciously? Do just hold my finger down on the power button until I feel content? It’s just not the same!
So even if we can close our books, should we?