For me, “the next big thing in electronic communications technology” will be in the area of wireless and mobile computing. Obviously, this is a means of communication that is pretty well developed already. The question, “In the future, will we do all our reading on smart phones?” isn’t something that needs too much thought. It seems as though, at least in the case of me and my friends, the main connection to the world is through smart phones. I read news articles, use Twitter (tweet), use Facebook, chat using instant messenging, and even sometimes do my homework on my smart phone. The truth is I can’t say that I enjoy it 100%. I still thoroughly enjoy picking up a print book or a newspaper. Now that I think about it, reading on a computer screen falls somewhere in the spectrum between smart phones and books. However, I would argue that smart phone use is essential and growing, especially with this generation of people who are now becoming adults. We don’t have time to sit down and read in front of the computer or to sit down to a cup of coffee in the morning while reading the paper. Maybe it’s because we’re in college, young and ambitious, energetic and still maturing. But it may actually be because we don’t like to be bored. I know I don’t. I load my plate up with as many obligations as I can find and then complain about it via Twitter until it’s all over. I think that smart phones will become another big alternative to the eBook and the Kindle very shortly. The only reason it hasn’t happened yet is because it’s not as popular, but I’m pretty sure I’ve already seen the technology—the application is sitting in my marketplace, probably for free; just the app though, not the texts. And, yes, we will undoubtedly be doing more watching than reading in the future. Again, though, that’s speaking as though it’s not already true. I’m pretty certain that non-digital literature won’t die, but it will diminish. Books will become less expensive to stay current and meet supply and demand. But a file on a smart phone or computer which is essentially free to copy will be right there with it.
06
May
11
The author is right, idea of books in print is already thoroughly diminished and much of it is due to the electronic forms we have today. The electronic files will certainly be transferred into mobile device apps and many readers will love the convenience of not having to carry around a kindle or ebook reader the size of a book. An ebook reader is also just one more hassle to carry around and mobile devices are already in our everyday lives, with us all the time so it makes perfect sense. However, reading texts on a mobile device does enter one problem: screen size. Although, I already read news articles, blogs, and typical websites; a long lingth text could just be too much strain on a readers eyes. The reader is faced with two options, zoom in farther and make the text size larger and be forced to constant scrolling, or zoom out and not have to scroll as much but then be forced to constantly strain your eyes trying to read the small print.Overall, reading on a mobile device will become very popular but possibly much harder to read on for a long time.
I also agree with the author that non-digital literature will diminish, but I do not think that it will ever be eliminated (not that the author suggested that). I do also agree that we are currently in process of digitalizing books by reading them on the Kindle and other similar products. But if they do start reading books on smartphones, I feel like the phones and screens themselves will have to get larger in order to be able to comfortably read a book on it. But all together, I agree with the ideas presented and wrote about a similar topic for my own in class writing.
For the most part, I agree with everything the author said. I do almost everything on my smartphone, such as facebook, read news articles, but doing homework is difficult. I don’t totally agree on the literacy rate dropping because of immersion though. Reading is the most practical skill in the world, even if 100% immersion existed because it is the best way to communicate instructions because they provide a template that can be read over and over again. Though, reading does not have to be on print and be through email and read on a smartphone. So non-digital literature will most likely diminish, but not to an extinction level.
Non-digital literature has already began to diminish. Book stores are closing, publishing companies are struggling and everything is being produced digitally. I think that there is still something that a paper book gives you that the digital form fales to produce. But as time passes technology continues to make things more accessible and affordable and as it immerses into our society that feeling will fade.
The way people learn is changing with technology and that immersion will help complete the transition to a completely digital society. When you sit down at Starbucks you will be able to touch your table and read the news or the newspaper.
I do agree that it will never extinct. But as we worry about our environment and technology progresses it will become much more common to access literature digitally
I agree that non-digital literature will make itself scarce in the digital revolution we are experiencing. I don’t think of it like we are losing books or stories but they are simply being remediated to become more accessible to society. Many people still rely on the newspaper to keep themselves updated (although the only people I can think of that do this are my grandparents) and I, myself, find reading a tangible book much more enjoyable than a screen. Most of our communication happens through the small box we carry in our pockets, we dedicate hours of our day to, and everyone appears to be glued to on campus- the cell phone. It only makes sense that literature make itself readily available to this application, people will pay attention to something that they carry everywhere without fail. Remediation is happening but it doesn’t mean that libraries will shut down because people are too busy tweeting their every move to frequent the library.
I agree with the author about our obsessive need to not be bored. We are moving in a direction that is sending our brains into information overload. The amount of information that we take in and process on a daily basis is probably the same amount that people consumed in about a week or more 100 years ago. We no longer rely on books and newspapers for our information, we just log onto the Internet and see what the buzz is. I think that stepping back from our current track will help us in the long run.
On the plus side, literature is becoming more and more readily available for the average reader. Almost any major text can be found online now, without leaving the comfort of one’s own home. They become portable and able to be read from any e-reader device or computer. Is this a blessing or a curse? Only time will tell…
I completely agree with Daniel that smart phones are the dominant form of technology right now. I argued the same point about mobile devices. Most technological innovations are being applied to cell phones, and things like accessing literature are becoming easier on phones. Recently, the iPhone developed a book store where you can read full books directly on your phone. However, I do find it relatively difficult to read on small screens, but with better technology leading to bigger screen sizes and increased resolution this is a problem that could be solved in the near future. Tablets are a good balance between reading books and reading on phones, but I believe there is not much utility to tablets and they will be phased out by advanced smart phones relatively soon. It will be interesting to see where technology leads the future of accessing literature.
I also would agree with the author that books and paper materials are going to significantly go down in the market world as technology and reading is mainly being done on a computer screen. College students are being swarmed with information each day. If this information were to be given via paperwork, the amount of papers that would be used would be gargantuan and everything would be unorganized. Keeping things technical makes information easier to obtain in this day and age and keeping things technologically advanced just makes things that much easier. In the future I feel like humans will evolve in such a way that changes the way we think as well as the way we think. I would disagree that most people do not like to be bored all the time becuase that just pertains to one’s definition of being bored.
I agree, digital communication has become the ultimate new thing. From email, to instant message to video chatting the new, fastest cutting edge technology. This translates into how we like to receive our literature. Fast,cheap,and easy.
I do think digital literature has made a strong push and it has become an important part of many peoples life’s. But printing books will not stop for a very long time. There are many people that are against this urdge to always need entertainment and relieance on technology. And i think there is something to be said about that.
We lose touch with reality and the world sometimes seems to fit inside our computer screen. I think the format on which we read can effect our mindset towards learning.