The first word that was revealed on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was “Iqra" which means “to read". In the first revelation the word was repeated five times. It demonstrates the importance of reading for humanity in the quest of prosperity. Why it shouldn’t be! After all, reading is the way to gain knowledge; and it is the knowledge that provides the man with all what he needs to create opportunities, make discoveries, do inventions, unfold the mysteries of universe, understand the routes to progress, unravel the methods to success. Knowledge is the most powerful weapon tool that gives us the strength to design our destinies.
Knowledge can be transferred from one individual to the other individual without writing it, but such kind of knowledge transfer cannot serve humanity as it is not likely to make its way to masses. Also, when the person would die, all his knowledge would be buried with him. That is why, over the centuries, the man has opted several methods to write and preserve the knowledge for future generation such as writing on rocks, leaves, logs. However those methods could preserve only a limited amount of information. Invention of paper brought a revolution in preserving the written content. Later on the printing technology made it easier to spread information far and wide by preparing several copies of one written material. Knowledge from one could be transferred to other lands over seas by fetching the books from there.
The modernization and technological advancement kept on happening. Finally we reached the present era which is marked by internet and digitalization. The paper has started becoming an entity of history. It is gradually being replaced with digital formats. There is no reason e-books wouldn’t carve our their undeniable place in our lives.
The technology has made the accessibility and storage much more easier as compared to hard-bond books. There is no need of any physical space (libraries) to hold tons of books. I chip of a few centimetres may hold a big amount of data. Transferring and sharing these books has become effortless. Within a few seconds any content can be shared across the globe with multiple user. The cost effectiveness is also another important aspect. Had e-books not been available, I wouldn’t be able to read many books I have reached so far. It wouldn’t be possible for me to get a big amount of knowledge I have today.
There was a time when searching a word in a dictionary would take time. There was a need to carry heavy dictionaries most of the time. How easy the task has become with our devices and internet, we all know. Searching certain words or phrases in a long document isn’t time taking any more. Just press ctrl+F and your desired words are in front if you. There is no need to carry heavy loads. Just your device and the book is ready to be read anywhere.
Despite all the ease e-books have brought to our lives, if I have choice to choose between e-books and paperbacks, I would go for the later. Scrolling screen with a finger doesn’t give me the level of satisfaction what is brought by touching and turning the pages with my hands.
E-books often fail to let me absorb in them. Perhaps, it is because our devices are full of distractions.
I have noticed that the size of text also has some effect on reading experience. While reading e-books on smaller screens the text becomes hard on eyes. If I enlarge the size, the continuous sliding of screen here and there tires me up.
When reading a book in language other than my native language, I desperately want to have a paperback. It is because I can easily mark, underline and write the meaning of words on the very pages I am reading from. The word and its meaning is right in front of me and this way the understanding of the content becomes easier.
For academic purposes, the paperback my only choice. I often have points to add and highlight. Going to edit option (while reading e-book) every now and then, and then looking for the particular oint is something that annoys me a lot. Paperback has no such hassles. You find an important point while reading, just underline and write with the pencil in your hand without moving your eyes up or down the page to look for dialogue box addition.
So these are the reasons behind my preference of paperback over e-book. What about you? Share your thoughts in comment section.
●●●●●●●
This is my entry for Hive Learner’s featured contest.
