E-books over conventional books?

Now that everyone is trying to be tech-savvy, everything need to be digitalized too. Take the music industry into context, before we are exposed to the world of technology, we used to buy record albums from record stores. As for now, music lovers get their favourite musics by downloading them from the Internet. Some sites for music downloading are Apple iTunes, KaZaa and also iHoneyJoo. Music lovers have changed the way to get music and this causes some record stores to downsize (WAPT.com, 2010).


Since the music industry has changed due to the demand of digital world, what about books readers? Most of the conventional books which are usually bulky in size have been converted into electronic books (e-books). E-books, as defined by Shiratuddin et al (2003), are digital format of books converted from paper books, displayed on computers. Sasson (n.d.) defines e-book as a book in electronic format that is downloaded to any kind of computer and is read on the screen. He also mentioned that e-book is no different than any printed book as it can have numbered pages, table of contents, pictures and graphics.

AUO eBook (source: ubergizmo.com)

What makes readers prefer e-books over conventional books?

1, Availability of e-book is almost instant. All you have to do is purchase and download it, and then you can start reading your 'book'. 

2. Convenience. Hundreds of books can be stored in a portable device. There is no need to bring a huge amount of books around with you or a room to store them. Furthermore, you are able to read e-books at anytime and anywhere.

3. Interactivity. Audio, animations and videos can be included in e-books, thus enhancing the messages conveyed by the authors.

(These are only some advantages of e-books. For more advantages of e-books, please refer to Sasson)


Though it seems like e-books are so much of good side, there are still people who prefer conventional books. Reading printed notes is still more comfortable than reading online (Shiratuddin et al, 2003). Another survey done in 2004 indicated that only 11% of 4000 students at 21 colleges in Minnesota preferred e-books ( Smith et al, 2008). Nevertheless, it is still a personal choice whether we prefer e-books or conventional books. No matter what we prefer, books still provide us with knowledge and information.

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References


Sasson, R n.d., 'The Benefits and Advantages of Ebooks', SuccessConsciousness.com, viewed 11 November 2010, from <http://www.successconsciousness.com/ebooks_benefits.htm>

Smith, B.A, Latham, J, Denigris, J, and Schuttler, R 2008, 'A Quantitative Analysis of the Impact of E-Book Format on Student Acceptance, Usage and Satisfaction, viewed 11 November 2010, from <http://www.drjohnlatham.com/Dissertations_files/B%20Smith%20dissertation%20final%2020081002.pdf>


Shiratuddin, N, Landoni, M, Gibb, F, and Hassan, S 2003, 'E-Book Technology and Its Potential in Distance Education', Journal of Digital Information, vol. 3, no. 4, viewed 11 November 2010, from <https://journals.tdl.org/jodi/article/viewArticle/90/89>

WAPT.com 2010, 'Digital Media Changing Music Industry : Some Record Stores Forced to Downsize', 11 November, viewed 12 November 2010, from <http://www.wapt.com/money/25750065/detail.html>