Stories have existed since the beginning of the human species. In the year 1994, a group of speleologists found cave paintings in the Chauvet cave in France that dated back to 33,000 years ago. These paintings told stories of everything from animals to volcanoes and the permanence of the paintings allowed them to be passed down to their descendants. Stories have existed since the beginning of the human species.
Books are just one of the many ways stories have been stored and passed down to newer generations. In the modern world, books are now available in digital format which brought with it many new advantages but also left behind crucial elements that normally come with reading a story. While some may say that digital books are more accessible, this does not make up for the meaningful experiences that come with physical books. Ultimately, physical books triumph over digital mediums because reading is an immersive experience that involves more senses than just vision as the physical characteristics of a book tell a story on their own.
According to Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford, “The experience of interacting involves not only what the book looks and feels like, both the weight of the volume and the feel of the pages, but also the distinctive smell.” While these aspects of the book may seem insignificant, they affect your mood, perception of the book, and ultimately the story it contains. For example, the Scientific History Institute found that just the smell of a physical book can “trigger powerful emotions, memories, and reactions,” as a result, ignoring or considering these experiences trivial has an immense impact on our reading. When immersed completely in a way that captivates both your senses and emotions, readers can understand and connect to the book they are reading in a way that cannot be replicated by digital books.
Furthermore, physical books have many recognizable characteristics that allow individual books to tell unique stories of their own. These include anything from the smudging of ink on the pages to the wear and tear caused by age which all tell a unique story about the history and life of the book. These traits become exceptionally meaningful when books are passed down through generations
In fact, this passing down of books through generations also gives them more value than electric books. According to a study published in the Electronic Markets journal, digital books invoke “a constricted sense of ownership, limiting usage experience, and value perceptions,” making physical books feel more like a possession than digital books since they can be seen and felt. University of Arizona’s professor of retailing and consumer services, Sabrina Helm, says, “E-books feel like more of a service experience; overall, they seem to offer a more functional or utilitarian experience. You have much more richness if you deal with a physical book, where all your senses are involved.” This once again ties in with the lack of various sensations and characteristics attached to digital books.
One of the most compelling arguments against physical books is the accessibility that comes with digitization. Digital books allow people from all over the country to read many books on a singular device — more convenient and take up less space than checking out or buying physical books.
However, this efficiency and accessibility come at a cost. The whole physical experience of reading and each book’s unique story is lost. In addition, the comprehension and understanding of a story are also impacted by the digitization of books. Psychology researcher Dr. Pablo Delgado led a meta-analysis that examined studies involving over 170,000 readers and found that “paper-based reading yields better comprehension outcomes than digital-based reading.” While digitization allows for more books to be accessible as a result, it undermines understanding and comprehending the story within the book.
When weighing the benefits of physical books — ranging from the complete experience of reading physical books to the comprehension of the story within the book against the accessibility digitization has provided, physical books have more to offer to us and thus, are generally more advantageous.
