The Benefits of Reading in Print

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The Benefits of

Reading in

PrintBy: Emma Keeler

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As technology

continues to

advance,

more and

more people

are relying on

the internet

for simple,

every day

tasks.

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Small, handheld devices

are being used to

capture moments, store

information, communicate,

and much more


Consumers are able to purchase

commodities that will be

delivered right to their door…

…without leaving the

comfort of their home!

It is estimated that U.S.

online retail will

reach $370 billion by

2017, representing a

compound annual growth

rate of 10%1

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Among all adult Americans, 56% reported using a cell phone

and 29% reported using a tablet to access news

and 73% of the 39%

of Americans who

own or use a tablet

device2

That represents 78% of the 69% of

Americans who own a smartphone

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With this massive increase in the online

world, people still prefer to read

paper copiesof books

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Reading improves the mental health and well-being

of an individual, this is called bibliotherapy3.

Bibliotherapy (n.): Any form

of psychotherapy in which the reading

of prescribed texts forms an important

part of the therapeutic process4.

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Why are print

books so

therapeutic?

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The

TactileExperience

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Tactile (tac∙tile): relating to the sense of touch5

Readers have a certain expectation of how the reading

experience should feel,

“People expect books to look,

feel and even smell a certain

way; when they do not, reading

sometimes becomes less

enjoyable or even

unpleasant6”

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While there is no doubt

e-readers are

convenient, they failto adequately recreate

certain tactileexperiences of reading on

paper that many people

miss6.


The

LearningExperience

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People enjoy reading on paper because spatio-

temporal markers make it easier to

remember what they read7.

Scrolling makes

remembering more

difficult.

People report that when

trying to locate a

particular piece of written

information they often

remember where in the

text it appeared6.


Studies show that the problem with screen reading is more

psychological than technological7.

Subconsciously, many people may think of reading on a

computer or tablet as a less serious affair than reading on

paper6.

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87% of

textbooks

purchased by

students in

2014 were

print8


The

Feelingof

Accomplishment

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Many people

enjoy being

able to gauge

visually how

far they are

in a novel;

how much

they’ve read,

and how

much they

still have to

read

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“Readers want to feel like they get some heft,

both physical and

intellectual, for their

money, and no one wants a

scrawny featherweightbook9”

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Many people do not feel much ownership of e-books

because of their impermanence and intangibility: "They think

of using an e-book, not owning an e-book6”


When they really like

an electronic book,

they go out and get the

paper version6.

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In the words of Alter,

“reading has largely been a

solitary and private act, an

intimate exchange between

the reader and the words

on the page10”


Although there is an increasing rise in

technology, the pleasure of reading a print book

is irreplaceable.

References (in order of appearance)

1. Mosteller, Jill, Naveen Donthu, and Sevgin Eroglu. "The Fluent Online Shopping Experience". Journal

of Business Research 67.11 (2014): 2486-2493. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.

2. "How Americans Get Their News". American Press Institute (2014): n. pag. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.

6. Jabr, Ferris. "The Reading Brain In The Digital Age: The Science Of Paper Versus Screens". Scientific American 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.

7. Myrberg, Caroline and Ninna Wiberg. "Screen Vs. Paper: What Is The Difference For Reading And Learning". Insights 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.

8. Bolkan, Joshua. "Survey: Most Students Prefer Traditional Texts Over E-Books". Campus Technology2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.

9. Wayner, Peter. "What If Authors Were Paid Every Time Someone Turned A Page?". The Atlantic 2015. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.

10. Alter, Alexandra. "Your E-Book Is Reading You". Wall Street Journal (2012): n. pag. Web. 17 Oct. 2016

3. Matrix, Sidneyeve. "FILM 240 Module 03 Lecture 01". 2016. Presentation.

4. Colman, Andrew M. "Bibliotherapy". A Dictionary of Psychology 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.

5. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.

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The Benefits of Reading in Print