Books and other printed sources have been the most trusted source of information for many years. In response to the proliferation of the internet and social media, many books have been digitized. Two major changes will ensue with the digitization of books: the way information is presented and how information is processed.
The digitization of books has changed the way books are presented. In chapter 4 of his book The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to Our Brains, Nicholas Carr presents a history of physical books as we know them. Physical books were and still are printed word on a page meant to hold one’s attention. Digital books, however, seem to promote distractions according to Carr. He states that their content is more similar to a website than their physical counterparts. To accommodate for this distracted mind frame, books are now being written differently. Carr states that books are being written to accommodate the shorter attention span that has developed because of internet usage. In chapter 6, he uses the Japanese cell phone books as an example. These are described as short novels that are text messages in book format. A similar phenomenon in this country would be flash fiction and graphic novels. These formats are easier for a distracted mind to process; and the multi-tasking mindset is becoming more common.
It isn’t just the look that is different about digital books; because of this new format, the way people process the information that they provide is different also. Printed material by its very nature requires the reader to be intellectually engaged and block out distractions and retain information; by contrast as Carr points out in chapter 7, digital material promotes distracted learning and cursory reading (116). It also allows for multi-tasking which seems more productive, but prevents focus and retention of information. Carr cites several sources which indicate that multi-tasking is not as productive as it seems. In chapter 7 he uses cites Maggie Jackson’s book Distracted (133) to illustrate that the brain can only successfully complete one task at a time. Clay Shirky, however, thinks that it too soon to tell whether we actually think differently because of internet usage (5). He does state that the proliferation of content is a more important discussion at the moment. Jay Samit agrees-more or less-with Shirky’s opinion. In his article “Three Ways Social Media Will Make or Break 2012 Campaigns,” Samit notes that the internet and social media serve more of an informational role than any other form of media today. Samit indicates how important it is to be connected not just for retailers, but even politicians to reach those who may not use traditional media; social media and the internet have even supplanted television as a form of communication. Carr also alludes to this concept of connection with the online community. However his main concern is with print materials. Although books are being digitized and we are becoming more distracted, all is not lost; books will remain viable.
Simply because books are being digitized does not mean physical books will eventually disappear. Carr expresses in chapters 5 and 6 that the book has survived many different types of media; and many critics have tried to predict the demise of the book for centuries. Each time the book has managed to survive in one format or another.
Bibliography
Carr, Nicholas. The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to Our Brains. New York: W.W. Norton. 2010. Print.
Shirky, Clay. The Invisible College. Print.
Samit, Jay. Three Ways Social Media Will Make or Break 2012 Campaigns. Advertising Age. 2011. Print.
