TRADITIONAL BOOKS OR E-BOOKS?
By Ms.Shikha Mishra
Department of Information Technology
(2018-20)
We currently
live in a world where people prefer online newspapers, books and magazines than
ever before. We no longer need to sit in crowds, in trains and buses getting
inky fingers trying to continuously turn the pages over of a newspaper or carry
around heavy bulk of books everywhere. Instead with a quick flick of a switch
on our tablets and other reading gadgets we can easily gain access to a large
variety of books, magazines and newspapers in one go. As a result, e-books are
gaining widespread popularity recently and one question that always remains the
most debatable is- Which is better? A traditional book or an E-book? Well, just
like everything, both of these have their own pros and cons. But one thing is
sure- you will not go wrong with either one.
Even though
e-book readers have become a common sight around the globe, but traditional
books still have their enthusiasts. According to reports by publishers, sales
of e-books are doubling each year but still the total amount of traditional
books sold at present is still greater than the total amount of e-books sold.
But the recent trends depict that in years to come, e-books will gain more and
more customers and will completely take over the market. This is because of the
feasibility and easy access of e-books.
One of the
most vibrant features of e-books is that it is very portable. E-books can be
carried anywhere and everywhere as they weigh zero and require no space. Just a
sort of device is needed to read it- either PDF-Reader on a personal computer,
laptop, tablets or mobile phones or specialized e-book reading devices such as
an Amazon Kindle. So if one travels a lot, e-books allow them to bring a whole
library with themselves wherever they go. Also, e-books are way cheaper than
traditional books. Some e-books are even available free of cost on internet.
Even in the long run, e-books are cheaper because there are no printing charges
and paper costs associated with them. Another advantage that an e-book provides
is that it removes the problem of light adjustments. Even if you are in a dark
room with no light source coming in, you can easily read on your device. The
font size can also be altered as per the need which cannot possibly be done in
case of traditional books. Also, the e-books at some point prove to be
environment-friendly as well, as there no involvement of paper in it.
But still
the enthusiasts of traditional books proclaim their love for the printed words
of a book, the feel of the paper, the experience of holding, owning and reading
a traditional paper book. There is still some appal to holding a book in your
hands to have full experience of reading, some people say. Also, the books kept
in the book shelves add a touch of elegance and luxury to the room. Shelves
full of books are a beautiful sight to see. Some other advantages of paper
books can be that they can be resold to other customers, which is not possible
in case of e-books. There is no need of electricity or batteries to keep the
reading devices charged.
And let’s
face it; we’re never going to get that comforting smell of paper or the weight
of a good book in our hands when we read an e-book. Paper books bring back
memories. Atleast to people of our generation and the generations before, who
grew up with paper books. Every time you open a book after a very long time or
a really old book as such and see the tan spots or the smell, you feel a bit
nostalgic.
So, I
personally believe that even if the technology goes on getting advanced and the
market gets flooded with e-books, there will always be people like me who would
buy the traditional paper books.
