Writing in our 'digital age' can be difficult. You have 144 characters to tweet, you have to sell a product in one short headline, your articles have to be short enough to hold the mass's miniscule attention span. But reading is also taking a blow.
The latest example: Borders is closing it's doors. I find this really sad. (And I'm not the only person, some others also got choked up over Borders goodbye email.) I liked Borders and despite it's big, box consumerist edge I also liked that books were treated as an important and desired commodity. Now all we have left in the way of a nation-wide retailer of books is Barnes and Noble. Not that B&N are terrible, but I just liked the vibe in Borders better. It seemed less snooty.
Personal preferences aside though, I do not like what this seems to be spelling for the future of books (... doom?). The email from Border's CEO cites (in addition to the economy) a changing book industry and e-readers as the reasons for its decline. So what exactly is happening?
I have heard a number of people claim print is dead and dying. I'm not convinced it ever will, even if I'm the only one lugging around my trusty paperback in five years. But the 'digital revolution' is certainly changing how we read. And changing the price. We can read an entire novel on a screen for about $10 (or less). Compare that to shelling out $25 for an average hardcover. This sounds all well and good, but is this undervaluing books and authors? I know writing and publishing books isn't necessarily the most lucrative profession, but will this make it even less so? It shouldn't, but could this turn away some who might be thinking of publishing their work?
There's an argument that e-readers are good for the book world because they will get those who aren't reading into it. Maybe. Will someone who shuns any kind of book shell out $150+ to buy one a Kindle? Unlikely. This means that e-book sales cut into real book sales. This isn't necessarily then end of the world. E-readers are great for travelers who want to take a number of books with them. They are convenient, portable, and look cool. But I'll be honest, I would rather lug my books. There's a sentimentality and personal experience that goes along with reading and owning an actual book. I can look at them on my shelf and remember the adventure I took while reading each one. Would anyone do that while looking at a screenshot of the cover? I'm not sure I would.
Reading, in general, has also taken a hit in the constant digitization of more corners of our lives. Attention spans get shorter. The Internet, movies and television captivate larger audiences. The NEA reports huge drops in literary reading. Are people no longer interested in getting lost in a book? Do people not like reading, or can they just not find the kind of books that appeal to them? I cannot really say since I am and have alway been a lover of books. Always. Probably since my parents read books to me as a kid.
Is that the problem? Not fostering a love of reading in kids at an early age? Who knows. But maybe if we stuck a book under their nose instead of plopping them in front of the TV, we might see a change.
For now though, this most recent blow to the book world worries me about what the future will look like for the printed word.
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