Speaking Volumes

An article that appeared in today’s New York Times, cites a recent survey done by Scholastic Inc. (publishers of the very popular Harry Potter and Hunger Games series).  The survey asked students and parents about e-books. 
 
While many children reported that they want the digital devices and would read for fun more frequently on them, two-thirds also reported that even if they had access they would not want to give up their traditional print books.
 
The ongoing discussion of e-readers reminds me of the still perpetuated ‘the Internet will eliminate the need for books, (or libraries or schools)’ and before that, computers will make everyone forget how to write and video killed the radio star…
 
It’s true, things do change. Uses evolve and some times it takes awhile for niches to reestablish themselves and things to settle in.   Not because the “old thing” needs to be reinvented, but because people are fickle.  We see something new and we run at it, then realize new does not simply replace old.  The concept of supplement seems to be a hard one for humans.
 
A perfect example to me is the Post Office. True, it’s had some rocky times of late and many are using electronic mail and online bill pay.  However, this does not mean we have lost the need for the U.S.P.S.   There are some who don’t have e-mail and still communicate by snail mail, there are some who want and like receiving catalogs, hard copies of bills etc.  There is more privacy in a hard copy mailed item than an electronic one.  But this aside, we still ship packages.  We still mail items which we want to track and have physical receipts for.  And now being marketed, an element that some of us have known all along, the postal service can be a means of protecting your identity.  There are actually pros to having your mail delivered to a P.O. box or even your home rather than over your computer.  Does this mean now e-mail will become passé?  No.
 
There is a time and place and function for most things.  I don’t believe e-books will replace paged books.  I do think people will use them.  Some will love them.  Some will hate them.  Things will shift in ways we don’t imagine, but I doubt anything will ‘disappear. ’  Ironically, in the 80's  video killed the radio star, but today, I listen to the radio daily and I am hard pressed to find a place to watch music videos