The impact of e-readers on modern society and reading habits

Critical Thinking Paper "Current Issue in Global Business"

Critical Thinking Paper -- E-Readers

With its Kindle, Amazon is currently the leader of the electronic readers market. In the near future, competition is expected to increase, mainly from players such as Barnes and Noble, Sony or LG. The impact will be that of a growing industry of e-readers. In terms of the society, this will manifest in changing reading habits, changing book purchasing habits or an increased access to books (for blind people as well). The trend will not however lead to the demise of the traditional books sector.

Major technological advancements characterize the contemporaneous society. One particular innovation occurs within the field of lecture, namely referring to electronic readers, shortly, e-readers. The debate on the utility of these new applications is amounting, with some parties arguing their ability to save energy, whilst others blaming them for the gloomy future of the printing industry.

Amazon has been the door opener in the field of e-readers with their Kindle gadget; but competition is likely to occur from other parties as well. Barnes and Noble for instance have announced their intention to launch an electronic reader, Nook, which, unlike Kindle, would run on the Android platform. This new technology, the Android, is in fact a mobile operating system that is also gaining momentum due to its flexibility in the meaning that people, generally software developers, can customize Android running machines by writing new software applications.

Returning to electronic readers however, a question is being posed relative to the means by which they would impact the modern day society. This article strives to answer the inquiry by focusing on several aspects of the electronic reader.

2. What is an E-Reader? Introducing Kindle

An e-reader can simply be defined as hardware and software platform that allows users to upload electronic books onto it, and then read the books. This function is common to all electronic readers, be them from Sony, Amazon, LG or Barnes and Noble. Yet, each individual brand carries its specific additional functions. Take a look at Kindle for example. Aside allowing readers to upload and read books onto the device, it also lets them connect to the internet and directly download electronic books. It does not take more than 60 seconds to get a book, and this can be done without searching for Wi-Fi hotspots, due to the integration of the 3G wireless technology within the device.

Kindle is light and slim, with the depth of any average magazine, and only weighs 10.2 ounces. It is easy to carry around and reveals increased quality of the reading material, including lack of glare even in the strongest light. It also allows access to blogs, magazines, newspapers and other materials than books, as well as an ability to play audio books. A prospective future application is that of getting the Kindle to read out loud the contents of an electronic book. Today, the Kindle store grants access to more than 360,000 books, sold at the average price of $9.99 (Amazon, 2009). All these features, alongside with its ease of usage or its incorporated dictionary make the Kindle a valuable addition to one's assets.

Nevertheless, there are also some perceived downsides to the Kindle. For once, browsing through the pages of the book and looking up specific information is rather difficult, meaning as such that Kindle's research applicability is reduced. Then, the device is rather fragile and could easily break. The internet connection at a global level is reduced, meaning that only few countries, aside the U.S., allow the Kindle to connect to the World Wide Web. The device does not reveal abilities for memory enlargement, meaning that the construction of a vast virtual library is reduced (Biggs, 2009). All these constitute negative points to be considered when deciding whether or not to purchase the Amazon Kindle. It is possible that some of these disadvantages be eliminated by competitive products, but for now, Kindle remains the largest player and the one standing the most chances to make a difference within the contemporaneous society.

4. How Kindle Would Impact the Modern Day Society?

E-readers, hereby represented by Kindle as the current leader of the industry, are expected to generate a wide series of both positive as well as negative impacts. The following lines reveal some of the most popular effects pegged to the growing popularity of electronic readers.

Positive impacts

Revive the passion for reading

With the assurance that the electronic readers will not destroy the market and industry for traditional books, it is even possible to assume that gadgets such as Amazon's Kindle will increase the individuals' access to books, making lecturing once more a popular hobby. This feature is best exemplified by the rapid access to books offered by electronic readers. Individuals will no longer have to go to stores or to libraries, lose time standing in lines or returning books. They will be just one click away. And the extra time that will be saved on avoiding lines and going out to pick books could be used for reading, or any other activity, element which will significantly improve the individual's quality of life.

Another benefit imperative to be mentioned is the increased access to reading offered by electronic readers to people facing eye sight problems. The first version of the Kindle was only useful for people who had eyesight problems but still could see, as it allowed them to easily increase fonts. The new version however is useful for blind people as well, as it allows them to listen to audio books. Future versions will even integrate applications which read out loud the texts selected.

The Virtual Community

Another impact will be felt within the virtual community, probably even for Amazon's Kindle Store. Basically, this website asks customers to pay for the book they want to read, and only then will they get access to it. There are however other sources to get access to e-books. Not commenting on online piracy, fact remains that there exist websites which grant users free access to virtual books. Such a source is www.feedbooks.com. The usage of this and other similar websites could significantly reduce Amazon's revenues. It would also create intensifying competition, which would force purveyors of e-books to increase the quality of their products and services. In all, it would have the ultimate positive benefit of supporting the development of virtual reading.

Customer choices

As it has been previously mentioned, Kindle is not the first electronic reader, but it is the most popular one. Having observed the triumphs of Amazon, other producers are striving to enter the market and get a share of the profits. This will materialize in more customer choices, but also intensifying levels of competition, which will reduce the e-readers' price, enhance its quality and the complementary features, all to culminate with a greater access to the product. Barnes and Noble's Nook allows users to transfer books and also incorporates touch-screen navigation (Gallagher, 2009).

Save the environment

Electronic readers are more environmentally friendly than books. First of all, they save trees by no longer requiring paper. Secondly, it is often argued that, as they are electronic devices, they consume energy. They however function on batteries, which can hold for whole days. Additionally, the carbon dioxide emissions are reduced. And as it can be expected, more and more developments will be made. LG for instance has launched a new reader that charges on solar energy (the Guardian, 2009).

Negative impacts

Role in Education

At this point, electronic readers are not sufficiently developed so that they can be efficiently used throughout the educational process. More specifically, they do not allow easy browsing through, taking notes or easy usage for reference. Combined with the fact that it is rather fragile, its current applicability is fairly limited. It must however be noted that Kindle could play a positive role within the learning habits of literature students, who must read long novels (Biggs).

The publishing industry

As it has been previously established, the growing popularity of electronic reading devices would materialize in the reduction of the demand for printed materials. And this refers not only to actual books, but also to magazines, journals and newspapers. The manifestation of this downside will be that of decreased demand for labor force in the field, generating as such an increase in unemployment rates. The same effect will be felt by the segment of traditional books, where libraries and bookstores will have to reduce their expenditures, including staff members, in order to cope with the decreased demand for their products and services. Yet, the intensity of this impact should be reduced.

Dependency on Technology

The modern day individual is hooked up on technology. The mobile telephone, the iPod, the laptop or the BackBerry are just a few examples of items which on the one hand improve the quality of our life, but on the other hand, make us rely on technological advancements. This translates into a sedentary life style and an increased pressure on the eyes.

5. What Barriers Stand in the Growth of e-Readers?

As it can easily be observed, electronic readers reveal more positive effects rather than negative. Even the downsides which have been identified can easily be counteracted with sound arguments. Yet, the next question that is being posed refers to the elements which impede the rapid growth of electronic readers. Some of these reasons are succinctly revealed below:

Some consumers remain reticent to electronic reading gadgets as they remain faithful to traditional books

The rapid pace of technological development makes consumers wait for new versions as they feel that the ones they could purchase today will be outdated tomorrow

The reduced offer of electronic books in comparison to traditional books

6. Conclusions

Following on the footsteps of nearly all industries, all sectors and all features of life, the reading habits of the modern day individuals have evolved. The most recent innovation in this sense is called e-reader, and represents a device which allows users to read electronic books. Its features include user friendly interface, small size and low weight, the ability to customize the font, play audio books and so on.

While it has not been the first presence within the sector, Amazon's Kindle sure is its undisputable leader. It is however beginning to face competition from companies such as LG or Sony, but also from long time rival Barnes and Noble. E-readers generally enjoy support and reveal a series of advantages, such as being greener than books, more efficient, increasing access to books and so on. Nevertheless, they also present some limitations, such as a still reduced applicability within the educational field. The most likely outcome is that of a growing industry of electronic readers, but which will nevertheless not demise the traditional books industry.

Works Cited:

Biggs, J., 10 Reasons to Buy a Kindle 2… and 10 Reasons Not to, Crunch Gear, 2009, http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/25/10-reasons-to-buy-a-kindle-2-and-10-reasons-not-to / last accessed on October 29, 2009

Eisenmann, T., Stuart, T.E., Chakravorti, B., Dessain, V., Harrow, S., Corsi, E., Orange: Read&Go, Harvard Business School, March 5, 2009

Gallagher, D., Amazon Fights to Keep Kindle on Top of E-Book Crowd, Market Watch, 2009, http://www.marketwatch.com/story/amazons-kindle-faces-tougher-market-this-season-2009-10-23 last accessed on October 29, 2009

Smith, P., Amazon Kindle's Impact on Book Sales, it World, http://www.itworld.com/personal-tech/62479/amazon-kindles-impact-book-sales last accessed on October 29, 2009

Trapani, G., the Kindle Adds to, but Doesn't Replace, Your Book Collection, Smarter Ware, 2009, http://smarterware.org/438/the-kindle-adds-to-but-doesnt-replace-your-book-collection last accessed on October 29, 2009

Yoffie, D.B., Kim, R., E Ink in 2008, Harvard Business School, April 15, 2009

Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Amazon, 2009, http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Reading-Display-International-Generation/dp/B0015T963C/ref=dp_ob_image_def last accessed on October 29, 2009

Never Mind Kindle -- LG's New E-Book Reader Is Solar Powered, the Guardian, 2009, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/12/kindle-lg-ebook-solar last accessed on October 29, 2009