The Digital Age Wins

As a baby boomer, I remember the good old days when the bookmobile stopped in the neighborhood. My reading started taking off in first or second grade, and I loved it. The first time the bookmobile parked around the corner from my house, a friend and I checked out a stack of books, dropped them off at home, and went back for another stack. I hid this stack under my shirt, thinking my mother wouldn’t see it, and admonish me for checking out so many books. She was busy in the kitchen cooking dinner.

I had fallen in love with reading and read my way through adulthood, with my mother insisting that I would ruin my eyes from reading so much. I had my face in a book all the time. Then the digital age came along, and the mass-produced eBooks.

Anyone born before the advent of the eBook swore that they’d never read a book on a digital device. I imagine past generations felt the same way about giving up the horse for a car. It’s sad to think that children born today might not experience the smell and feel of a paper-produced book, but we don’t miss what we’ve never known. Progress marches on whether we like it or not.

One problem with eBooks, as I see it, is out of sight out of mind. When books are lining the shelves in your home, you can easily see them and grab one to read on a cold, rainy evening. With books hidden away on a tablet or computer, you might not even think of reading. If guests are staying at your house, they might like to grab a book and enjoy some alone time reading. They can't do that if all your books are hidden on your digital devices.

I question if young people read for pleasure anymore. There are still brick and mortar stores selling real books. Eventually, they will be gone. Will that have any affect on reading?

There are book collectors and as the digital age takes over book collecting might become a popular pasttime. The future will tell, but how many of us today will be around to see it.

I’m ashamed to say that I can’t remember the last time that I read a book. I’ve been addicted to the computer for the last 20 years. Right now, I’m looking at a small bookcase in my office with some reference books on Spanish spilling out of it. All of those books are available as eBooks.

In the past, when I traveled, I carried a heavy, cumbersome bag of books with me. That isn’t necessary anymore. I’m a minimalist and somewhat of a nomad. Lugging books around is impractical in today’s world.

I’ve lost my love of reading for pleasure and thank my computer for that. Even though I got my bachelor’s degree in creative writing, I have no desire to write or read fiction. I’ve thought of reading the classics like Dickens, Hemingway, Steinbeck, and London again as a way to revive my love of reading. The computer has a stronghold on me. I don’t know if it would work.

I like reading nonfiction, but the computer holds me prisoner. I did some research on computer addiction and found out it’s caused by anxiety. I believe that because it has a calming effect on me. I don’t know if I can do that anymore. I spend my time writing content and posting my art on products for Zazzle.

I own a Kindle and a tablet. I rarely use them, but now I’m going to dust them off. If I buy any books, I’ll buy digital ones. Hopefully, my love of reading for pleasure will reappear.