THE FUTURE OF READING

IN THE DIGITAL AGE

BY L AU R E N B R OA D H U R S T

87% OF CANADIAN PUBLISHERS ARE PRODUCING EBOOKS

Canadian Publishers (2015)

Publishing Ebooks Not Publishing

“State of digital publishing” BookNet Canada

D I G I TA L B O O K S A R E

- C O N V E N I E N T

- O F T E N L E S S E X P E N S I V E

- A B L E T O TA I L O R

YO U R R E A D I N G E X P E R I E N C E“They’re Watching You Read” Francine ProsePC: Jonas Smith (Flickr)

YET EBOOK SALES ARE NOWHERE NEAR THE SALES OF PRINT MEDIA

“Print books survive the e-book onslaught” Laura MacNaughton and Renee Filippone

This can be attributed to the stigma eReading carries with older generations.

25%

75%

Millenials Reading Ebooks (2016)Read an Ebook Have not Read an Ebook

8%

92%

U.S. Adults Reading Ebooks (2016)Read an Ebook Have not Read an Ebook

Module 3, Lecture 1: Books, Sidneyeve Matrix, “US Adults and Ebooks” Shannon GreenwoodPC: Picjumbo

YOUNGER GENERATIONS ARE SHOWING PREFERENCES TO EBOOKS AND AUDIOBOOKS.

GROWING UP IN THE DIGITAL AGE HAS REMOVED THE STIGMA AROUND EREADING

46%54%

Children Reading Ebooks (2016)Read an Ebook Not Read an Ebook

“E-Books vs. Print: What Parents Need to Know.” Jenny DeamPC: Ben.Timney (Flickr)

H O W E V E R , T H E A D O P T I O N O F E R E A D I N G H A S B E E N M E T W I T H G E N E RAT I O N A L P U S H B A C K

EBOOKS LOSE THE TACTILE INTERACTION, CAUSING LESS CONNECTION TO THE MATERIAL

“There’s a lot of interaction when you’re reading a book with your child. Turning pages, pointing at pictures, talking about the story. Those things are lost somewhat when you’re using an e-book” -Dr. Pamela High

Module 3, Lecture 1 Sidneyeve Matrix

Older generations have more concerns over “screen time” and developing issues such as computer vision syndrome

“Paper Books cs. eBooks: The State of the Art of Reading” Suren Raasubbu PC: John Samuel (Flickr)

These concerns have grown over time, creating a fear of reading digitally.

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT EREADING IS ENGAGING THE DIGITAL GENERATION

39% of children and young people read daily using electronic devices including tablets and eReaders, but  only 28% read printed materials daily. The number of children reading eBooks has doubled in the last two years (from 6% to 12%)

-Pew Study 2013

“Children’s on-screen reading overtakes reading in print” National Literacy Trust

The familiarity with tablets and smartphones in the younger generation makes them more adaptable to and comfortable with eReading.

"An e-reader has more in common with the electronic devices that young people use all the time, like smartphones or iPads, than a paper book, when it comes to turning of pages, the possibilities of adjusting font size, etc.," -Åse Kristine Tveit,

“Paper Books vs. eBooks: The State of Reading” Suren RamasubbuPC: (top) Petra Gagilas, (bottom) Ian T. McFarland

T H E G E N E RAT I O N A L D I V I D E I N T H E WAY P E O P L E R E A D I S A P R I M E E X A M P L E O F T H E E V E R E V O LV I N G T E C H N O LO GY D E B AT E .

WITH THE ADVANCEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY CHANGING HOW PEOPLE READ, IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF PRINT MEDIA, AND ADAPT TO THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL LITERACY.

Digital educational materials are becoming widely used in classrooms, creating less waste and limiting the cost of materials.

“9 Benefits of e-Books That Make Them Valuable Classroom Technology” Daryl SessomsPC: Zach Frailey (Flickr)

T H E F U T U R E O F R E A D I N G W I L L A DVA N C E A LO N G W I T H T E C H N O LO GY. W H I L E P R I N T M E D I A I S FA R F R O M B E I N G G O N E , T H E WAY P E O P L E R E A D I S E VO LV I N G .  

WORKS CITED • Bacon, Beth. "Are Ebooks for Kids Worse Than Paper Books?" Digital Book World. N.p., 16 Mar. 2016.

Web. 03 Mar. 2017.• "Children's on-screen reading overtakes reading in print." Children's on-screen reading overtakes

reading in print | National Literacy Trust. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.• Deam, Jenny. "E-Books vs. Print: What Parents Need to Know." Scholastic.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 03

Mar. 2017.• Greenwood, Shannon. "US Adults and Ebooks." Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. N.p.,

31 Aug. 2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.• MacNaughton, Laura, and Renee Filippone. "Print books survive the e-book onslaught." CBCnews.

CBC/Radio Canada, 24 Dec. 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.• Module 3 Lecture 1: Books. Dir. Sidneyeve Matrix . Perf. Sidneyeve Matrix. OnQ. Queen's University ,

6 Feb. 2017. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.• Prose, Francine. "They’re Watching You Read." The New York Review of Books. New York Review of

Books, 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.• Ramasubbu, Suren. "Paper Books Vs. eBooks: The State of the Art of Reading." The Huffington Post.

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 May 2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.• Sessoms, Daryl . "9 Benefits of e-Books That Make Them Valuable Classroom

Technology." SecurEdge Networks - Enterprise WiFi Service Providers. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.• "State of Digital Publishing." BookNet Canada. BookNet Canada, Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.