So, if you haven’t heard or realized by now, books, along with everything else ever invented, are going electronic; and the old way or reading books is becoming more and more unpopular. Electronic Books, or ebooks, are becoming the new trend for reading books, but according to an article I found on trueslant.com, this may not be such a good thing. The first drawback that they talk about is the closing of small bookstores. This is to be expected though. Since technology has advanced everything, stores in many genres have begun to close. Just think about it, when was the last time you have actually been to a Blockbuster or Hollywood Video. Technological advances such as Redbox have pretty much put them out of business, and people fear that ebooks will have the same effect on book stores. Another drawback to ebooks that the article mentions is that when reading an ebook, others can not see what the person is reading. The article says, “it is not always possible to see what others are reading or to project your own literary tastes.” There have been many times where friends of mine have been reading, and the cover of the book has caught my attention. Sometimes, it made me more interested in reading the book for myself.
But ebooks cant be all bad right. If that was the case, they wouldn’t be so popular. Well actually, there really are not many advantages to reading an ebook. Its just like having the actual book, its just on your laptop, I-pod, Sony Reader.. Etc. To me, ebooks are for people who want to seem cool or modern. The media have portrayed ebooks as a cool, new way to read books, and people buy into that.
In the book “Media Society”, David Croteau and William Hoynes mention more than one definition of ideology. Ideology can be defined as a way of thinking, or what one considers is acceptable or not. For example, many people's ideology tells them that it is "normal" or more acceptable to shower, brush you teeth, and wash you face, before going to bed. I think that one ideology that is common in America is the importance of consumerism; because, it has become so "normal" for advertising to create this desire in the general public to buy things, and much more than is actually necessary. So, many times people end up purchasing something they don't need. Anyone who has bought an ebook probably falls directly into this category or line of thought. don’t get me wrong, there are many advantages of having an ebook. You may get access to many books on one device, without having to carry around a big bag of books, but is having an ebook a necessity? Not at all.
In the book “Media Society”, David Croteau and William Hoynes mention more than one definition of ideology. Ideology can be defined as a way of thinking, or what one considers is acceptable or not. For example, many people's ideology tells them that it is "normal" or more acceptable to shower, brush you teeth, and wash you face, before going to bed. I think that one ideology that is common in America is the importance of consumerism; because, it has become so "normal" for advertising to create this desire in the general public to buy things, and much more than is actually necessary. So, many times people end up purchasing something they don't need. Anyone who has bought an ebook probably falls directly into this category or line of thought. don’t get me wrong, there are many advantages of having an ebook. You may get access to many books on one device, without having to carry around a big bag of books, but is having an ebook a necessity? Not at all.
As a writer, who is working on a novel right now, I acknowledge all of the positive things that come from having an ebook, but I personally would prefer to buy the actual book instead. I think that ebooks are not going to take the place traditional books any time soon, but that day might come. This is yet another example that nothing is exempt from technology. And if Technology makes something “better” people will buy it.
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David S.
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