With the advances in today’s technology, it seems as though people are reading less and opting for audiobooks. The internet has helped aid the disappearance of reading paper books with websites like Audible.com. Audible has even gone so far as to sponsor content creators on YouTube to encourage their viewers to listen to books instead of reading them in order to advertise their website.
People argue that they are too busy to sit down or do not have enough time to enjoy a paper book, so they decide to listen to it instead. However, most people will decide to multitask while listening to their audiobooks, so they will not give the book their full attention. Chances are that they will miss an important part being read to them and not even realize it.
Personally, I prefer to read a book and not listen to it. There is something so satisfying about turning a page and finishing a book. When listening to a book, I would not know what chapter I was on or how many pages are left. I feel like I would be cheating myself out of an experience that only reading books can create.
Do you think that audio books will soon replace paper books? Do you prefer to read a book or listen to it?
Karla Colon
I do believe that audio books are becoming more relevant in the society we live in today, but i do not believe that they will ever fully replace paper books. Paper books have been around so long, and I think the paper books have a special place in people’s hearts because of its authenticity. I understand where you're coming from when you say that listening to an audio book instead of actually reading the hardcover in front of you is distracting and such. I feel the same way that, yes, you may miss some important details in the book that you're listening to, but that just depends on the person and their focus in what they are listening to. I personally love audio books, but I like to have the paper book in front of me to follow along. Having someone else read the book to me really helps me enjoy what I'm reading more.
ReplyDeleteI prefer reading the actual book because I engage with the book itself, and nothing can change the experience of reading printed books. In Nicholas Carr's The Shallows, Carr emphasizes in chapter six that e-books are also starting to take hold of printed books, but it still doesn't change the fact that books are better to read on pages than on screens, and are better to read than listen. Carr provides examples like, "[...] you can take a book to the beach without worrying about sand getting in its works. You can take it to bed without being nervous about it falling to the floor. You can spill coffee on it. You can sit on it," to inform readers the things you can do with a printed book but not with an e-book (99). These assets of reading printed books defeats the advancements of digital books, and people also comprehend less with e-books because of the many distractions included, for example, in the Kindle. The Kindle has connection to the Internet, let's you listen to music, and has links incorporated into the texts, or hyperlinks. These additional distractions keeps printed books being unique in its own way as its only focus is to engage with its readers of the story it holds.
ReplyDeleteNow to answer your question, I don't think audio books and even e-books will ever replace paper books because not everyone can easily learn information by just listening. I know when teachers or professors lecture, there are many students writing the information down to read and study for later because the information doesn't just easily stick to your brain. I agree with you that if you listen to audiobooks, you wouldn't know what chapter you are on (unless they say so), or you wouldn't know how many pages are left. It's best to actually see what you are reading to stay focused on the book. Moreover, you wouldn't be able to analyze text and understand the deeper meanings of the story if you are just listening to someone read the book for you. I personally cannot follow along when listening to audio books. I usually tend to lose focus and start thinking about other things I start to think about. Also, I agree with Joy as well that paper books do have a special place in people's hearts because I can relate to that very much!
I agree with Joy in that paper books will always retain a special place in people's hearts because although an audio book is just another form of the physical copy, they lead to very different experiences. Reading from a paper book is very traditional and can even be nostalgic for others while audiobooks are more accessible because the majority of people always have their phones with them; having their phone with them already means one less thing to carry which is important especially for people on-the-go. But for me, I definitely prefer reading than listening to a book because I feel like it helps me to truly understand the content instead of listening to it and having it go through one ear and out the other. Let's say I stumble upon a quote I really like, with reading, I can easily go back and bookmark where it is but with listening, you could easily pass over it. So in short, I don't think audio books will ever fully replace paper books.
ReplyDeleteI personally prefer to read a book because I can give it's ideas my full attention. I really don't like listening to audio books for anything. I usually end up listening to the first sentence and then drowning out the rest of the audio with my thoughts. I'm more of visual learner rather than an audio learner so I can digest ideas and understand concepts much better when reading them rather than listening. When listening to the audio books the words basically go in one ear and out the other. Because of my personal preference I never want audio books to replace paper books. Also, I do not think they ever will. Paper books may not be as popular as they were in earlier times, however they are still very relevant to the world. We still have libraries full of paper books and in education we have textbooks. It's always good to have a hard copy because An audio file may be deleted, so it's always good to have a hard copy since it's more difficult to delete a book.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to hold a book in my hands. I like that I can go back and reread a sentence or two if I don’t understand something just by turning a page. You can read at your own pace. I don’t have to rewind and try to figure out where I left off or how far back I have to go. Nothing compares with going into a bookstore and picking up a book to read it. With a physical book you don’t have to worry about how much battery is left before it dies. Or having to look for an outlet to charge up the device. It can be taken anywhere. Books are more durable than electronic devices. With devices you have to be more careful. Where they’re placed, it can get sun and heat damage, dropping it and having it break on you. You have to protect them more. As with a book you don’t have to. Place it wherever and whenever and it’s still in good condition.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the actual book because I can actually focus on one thing instead of multitasking. It is understandable to busy people to listen to the audio book than actually read it. Yes they may miss some things, but as long as they get the main idea of the book then I think they'll be fine. Sometimes in audio books I catch small mistakes because I listen to it and read it.
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