Books Are Dead … Weight

There are a surprisingly large number of people who are fascinated with just flipping pages. They justify it as a preference. They definitely believe their reading experience is augmented by the heft of a tome and the smell of its pages. Even those of us who make no claims about being bibliophiles like to show of a shelf or two of books. In fact, they insist the parent/child reading experience is impossible if not just unsatisfactory with an eBook. However, in the end printed books are dead weight … and culturally about to become obsolete.

There are two big reasons for the current “preference”:

1. Books bridge generational cultures: It is indeed true that a book recommended or given or read by an older generation to a younger one has often become the cornerstone of relationship, a childhood or a coming of age or education. The book forms a central and powerful association across all of these and its importance is easy to understand.
2. eBooks while interesting for the environment, do not elevate the reading experience sufficiently to blow peoples minds: While eBooks are increasingly available they have not become prevalent only because they are not much more than a print alternative. For culture to be changed the game has to be changed and innovation must render a user experience with the eBook that so outclasses the print version that print is forgotten…