Books or Kindle? War continues

Has technology made books obsolete?

“… A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone if it is to keep its edge.” – Tyrion Lannister

The world today has come a long way in the history of writing. We have seen many indigenous ways of writing before the keyboard got invented. When the pen wasn’t there, the ancients wrote with a quill and ink. So, the usage of technology nowadays has altered the history of writing. Earlier, the act of reading a book was paying a tribute to our history.

Books have always had a fetishistic quality to them. There’s a certain kind of pleasure in books which no tablet or eBook can replace. Riffling of pages, their smell, and catching a hold of them is majestic. Due to the technical realm we live in, books are becoming obsolete.

No doubt the technical books or eBooks have definite advantages. Like for those who love to catch up on their reads while traveling; packing books would be difficult. E-Books can carry hundreds of title. Besides we are protecting our environment. A million trees will be safe. People prefer books over eBooks for some purposes and vice-versa. The following bar chart gives us the statistical information of the same.

E-books provide us with the flexibility to buy a title anywhere, with our smart devices. Even more, an infinite number of readers can enjoy the same title at the same time. Digital availability of every resource will definitely enhance the human brain. With the in-built dictionary feature, there is no reason why we would not look for a word’s meaning. Yet I would also like to associate reading a book with the freedom of choice. We read what we want. Technology has limited this freedom. Same goes for watching television; instead of watching one movie, we end up watching two. Technology, no doubt makes our life a whole lot easier!