Alumni Voice: Reading Unbound

Since I was a little kid, one of my favourite things to do was to open a new book, sit down and relax. Going to the book store to find a new adventure to take part in, then reading it in the car on the way home because I was so excited to get started are memories that I will cherish.

I distinctly remember the one Christmas opening up my gifts and I had been given a Kobo reader. They were so excited; they figured I would have been so happy about an online reader. I was not excited.

When I tried to use the online reader I could not get used to the idea of no longer holding a book in my hands, the familiar weight of the book and the flipping of the pages were gone. As thoughtful a gift as it was for a book lover like me, I realized that I preferred a hardcopy rather than a digital version.

With the rise of technology, it seemed, this preference for paper was starting to become obsolete. The internet allows for so many resources to be within the public’s reach. With just a few clicks of a button, one could have access to millions of sources. Some would argue that the end of print was near, that in the not too distant future everything would be online.

There was an interesting article written by Sara Aase, a freelance writer, entitled “Print vs Online: Can There Be a Cohabitation of Competing Media and How Readers Can Benefit”. In it, Aase talks about how the death of the printed word has been greatly exaggerated in society.

She argues that printed books and works will still be around for (at least) the next few decades. She discusses that even though the publication industry has changed do to the increasing popularity of online sources, print will still be a relevant form of text.

Another point to consider is about the accessibility aspect of online sources versus printed texts. To this I believe there are arguments that support both sides.

The obvious positive aspect of using an online book reader, is that it allows for people to have access to millions of books in a convenient and portable 8 x 11 tablet format. There is no longer the need to carry heavy books to and from school each day.

The use of online sources also allows for educators to communicate with their students more directly as they are able to share ideas and thoughts on topics. It allows learning to occur beyond the walls of the classroom and across time zones.

The most major problem with the use of online sources and digital texts—it only really benefits the more privileged members of society.\

There are millions of people around the world, including Canada, who do not have home access to the internet, computers or tablets. What they do have access to, though, are printed books.

Books are not restricted by cable lines or web access, they don’t require a monthly fee, and they are able to transcend incredible distances and time without the use of the internet. Best yet, they are free with a library membership.

They allow people to communicate with others on a more personal level, as it allows for people to unplug from the digital world and discover who they are.

Another key factor of how text has been involved and is the way written text has allowed humans to communicate over time.

Being a classical history major, I realize the importance writing and storytelling has been to the development of humankind. In ancient civilizations like Greece and Rome, oral tradition was such an important aspect of everyday life in these ancient societies.

Through these stories, elders were able teach and inscribe morals and values, into the younger men and women of society.

Through the tragedies of great Greek playwrights like Euripides and Sophocles, they were able to reflect and make a critical analysis on their society with their works.

These ancient sources allowed modern scholars to form ideas on how people of the ancient world lived.

Flash forward a few hundred years when the printing press designed by Johannes Guttenberg, allowed for the mass production of books to be published. The most popular book at the time being the Bible finally became accessible to the common person.

People had access to different books and texts, different ideas and viewpoints, printed in the vernacular of the many different languages spoken in single city.

From its earliest forms, the printed word has been an important part of our societal progress.

While online texts certainly do have their appeal, and as it allows users to have access to thousands of sources on demand, they will never totally abolish the use of the printed word.

From oral tradition, to the mass production of printed texts, to going to the bookstore to buy the next adventure to sit and read, the sharing of stories has and will always be an important aspect to my own life.

Reference list

Aase, S. (2011). Print vs online: Can there be a cohabitation of competing media and how

readers can benefit. American Dietetic Association.Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 111(4), 500. Retrieved from http://libaccess.mcmaster.ca.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/docview/864813603?accountid=12347

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