Traditional Books vs eBooks: The Fun Factor

Traditional Books vs eBooks: The Fun Factor

Last week, the NPR Radio Station discussed an interesting topic – Are E-Books Killing Reading For Fun? According to NPR,  “Americans are reading differently than they used to: more e-books, more audio books and young people choosing not to read at all.” NPR's guest host Celeste Headlee took a closer look America's evolving reading habits with Pew Research Center's Kathryn Zickuhr and librarian Elissa Malespina. It's safe to say that the show touched on some important aspects of modern reading in the USA, which will undoubtedly resonate with readers in most other parts of the western and developed world.

The eBook Fun Factor

Why have eBooks become so popular? Most will argue that the sheer accessibility is too good to pass up. Nowadays, it is supremely easy to download an eBook from the unlimited library that is the Internet. Yet, are eBooks actually fun to read? With the glaring screens, endless scrolling and an array of interruptions just a fingertip touch away, some – like NPR, will certainly raise the question of the fun factor being sapped by eBooks, in relation to traditional books.

The Traditional Book Fun Factor

When eBooks emerged, it would have been easy to slap an expiry date on traditional books. Yet, the traditional book may have more fight in it than the average reader first thought. Despite not being as new and (sometimes) freely accessible eBook counterpart, the world of traditional reading from a real life book still manages to pique the interest of readers just that little more. After all, unlike with an eBook, a traditional book is something physical, and personal. There are also no third-party distractions or notifications within a book. No emails or messages will interfere, nor will the book begin ringing. It's just a book. Thanks to this simplicity, a traditional book can feel more immersive. It's far easy to get reeled in to the story or message of the text, as your mind is completely focused on the physical pages in front of you. That, as any avid reader knows, is pretty fun. Which book type do you think has the biggest fun factor? Let us know in the comments below.