The Future of Printed Books in the Digital Age #2 (Essay Sample)

The Future of Printed Books in the Digital Age
Students Name
University Affiliation
The Future of Printed Books in the Digital Age
Books are cultural tools, which have undergone considerable changes since their inception. In the early times, books took the form of stones and clay tables, which, due to technology, evolved to the modernly printed book. Despite changes, the objective of books remained the same, which is, storing and preserving information. The storage and preservation of information have made it possible over the years to gain substantial knowledge. Therefore, the printed book will forever remain the most useful invention in learning (Bruccoli, 2007). On the other hand, professionals from libraries and publishing groups have commented that, the future usage of the printed books is on the decline taking into account the swiftly evolving technologies.
The fear arises because digitalization has made it possible to provide printed books in electronic forms known as e-books, which has made it easier to access information. The threat is significant considering the wide usage e-books as the primary electronic contents in learning (Buzzeto-More, Nicole, & Elaboid, 2007). The question on the future of printed books in the digital age has induced mixed reactions. While some scholars feel that printed books will survive the digital age, others have commented that digitalization will cause the “death” of printed books. Scholars in opposition to digitalization suggest that, digitalization of printed books reduces them to mere objects on the screen, which disqualifies them as books. E-books do not allow for sustained reading, which will result to poor reading techniques (Bruccoli, 2007).
The supporters of digitalization have referenced the extensive usage of handheld devices, and the computer. The devices enhance portability of e-books and people can access e-books at their convenience. However, handheld device’s battery life, readability, screen size and slow page turning are challenges that have continued to persist. Then again, it is undisputable that it is easier to trace words on a computer than when using the printed book. The availability of printed books online has resulted to copyright issues, which has seen many authors seek digital encryption, whereas others have denied access to their books (Buzzeto-More, Nicole, & Elaboid 2007).
In terms of profitability, some e-books are accessible free of charge, and authors are on the verge of losing money. Therefore, some authors are likely to follow a printed approach rather than the e-book approach to ensure they earn a living from the same. It is notable that the some societies are not in favor of printed books, but this does not make it conclusive that printed books will no longer feature in the society. In this context, the Digital Publishing Forum reported in the year 2006 that, despite the high numbers of hours spent by people on computers, people do not read at length on the computers. Therefore, some will prefer printing when the reading material is three to four pages (Buzzeto-More, Nicole, & Elaboid, 2007).
Digitalization is dependent on the internet, ...