Currently, I am reading Burn Collector (#14) by Al Burian. I was struck by something he mentioned Danial Clowes said in relation to reading, technology, and comic books:
As we enter, voiceless and impotent, a digital age of “instant access” (or constant access) the fragile chemistry of this, our hand-held, non-automatic pictorial narrative device and its inherently sublime nuances (the texture and silence of the pages and our profound trust in processed wood pulp to convey those charms without threat of mechanical failure or chirping sounds) appear to be in grave danger.
This got me to thinking of reading in age of ebooks and computers. Books don’t require electricity (sure they require a light source to read by). Books don’t give off heat like my netbook does. Books don’t make lame noises. Books don’t require a wireless connection or subscription. These are definitely different aesthetics in each mode of reading. I also wonder which has more of an environment impact? How many wires, signals, and electricity is expended to make an e-book work seamlessly with a device as opposed to that of a print book? How much money is spent in buying a device, paying for a subscription service, and building a network/device? Are there unintended consequences to society in moving to”electronic reading”? Who knows… What I do know is that I would rather read this blog online than in print but at the same time I would prefer to read Burn Collector in all it wood pulp hand-held glory.
Tags:
books,
ebooks,
literacy,
reading
