I caught part of a story today on NPR about the Amazon Kindle and the effects the device is having on the publishing industry. The main thrust of the story was on a different topic related to the Kindle, but what I found especially interesting was the discussion about how the most dyed-in-the-wool lovers of the printed page are increasingly turning to the Kindle as their preferred choice of reading medium.
I don’t yet own a Kindle, but I’m certainly intrigued by it both as a consumer and as someone who is trying to bring a library into the “21st century.” In fact, I’m intrigued in the same way I’m interested in MP3 technology. These technologies allow for a portability of information never before possible, and their potential to mash up content breathes new life into books and music that I previously thought I would never return to again in my life.
Part of the apparent magic of the Kindle is its so-called “electronic paper.” One interviewee on the NPR story claimed that the Kindle perfectly mimics printed paper. That combined with the book-like size and heft of the Kindle so emulates the experience of traditional reading that the same interviewee said she keeps reaching up to the right-hand corner of the device to turn the page.
Much of the rest of the story was about the Kindle’s obvious effects on the publishing industry. The “will people still be reading printed books in 50 years”-type of discussion was a central theme.
I love technology and I would like to see the Kindle truly revolutionize the book industry. I have to admit that some of that enthusiasm stems from my being a bit of a tree hugger, and I hate contemplating the natural resources that are destroyed every year to create traditional books, newspapers, magazines, and other types of printed material.
But I also love books and I always will. I like that you can mark them up, and well-used copies sometimes give me a sense of companionship that I find missing in other inanimate objects. After all, I found books compelling enough to spend a lot of money on for a library degree and a lot of headache to change careers for.
And that’s where I found the slant of the story to be just a bit of a turn-off. I would like to hear more about how the publishing industry is seeking to increase the popularity and marketability of both the Kindle AND the printed book. In this particular case, squashing one technology to pump up another seems less dynamic and interesting than does leveraging the strengths of both to create a better-than-ever world of reading and of readers. But perhaps that slant doesn’t really exist, in which case I’m disappointed.
I see the Kindle and the traditional book as tools with distinct aims of purpose. I, for one, prefer having more tools at my disposal without being forced to choose one piece of gear over another. That became clear to me again the other day when I had to use a screwdriver handle for a hammer. It kind of worked, but not really.
