Print is Dead: Books in Our Digital Age

Over the weekend The New York Times had an article by Matt Richtel about last week’s Blackberry outage. Entitled “It Don’t Mean a Thing if You Ain’t Got That Ping,” the article talked about how (and why) Blackberry users felt so frustrated, stranded, and lonely without Blackberry service (after all, there’s a reason that the devices are nicknamed “Crackberries”). But the article also ties the Blackberry outage, and its feelings of withdrawal-like symptoms, to a more fundamental need of humans to stay connected in an increasingly electronic age. Writes Richtel: “Experts who study computer use say the stated yearning to stay abreast of things may mask more visceral and powerful needs, as many self-aware users themselves will attest. Seductive, nearly inescapable needs. Some theorize that constant use becomes ritualistic physical behavior, even addiction, the absorption of nervous energy, like chomping gum.”

In terms of the “print is dead” debate, electronic content and networked books will undoubtedly help feed the “visceral and powerful” needs which digitally-connected people are feeling more and more. In fact, the quest for new stories that once drove readers to devour mountains of books now manifests itself in the young technophiles who feel the ardent tug to constantly be in contact via their electronic gadgets. But it doesn’t stop there; this drive has spilled over into content itself. Users want to also interact with what they’re reading, watching or listening to; they want to shuffle their playlists, remix their music, and alter how or when they watch movies and TV shows.

The article talks also about a condition known as “acquired attention deficit disorder,” which is used “to describe the condition of people who are accustomed to a constant stream of digital stimulation and feel bored in the absence of it.” Well, I would say that pretty much anyone under the age of thirty qualifies for being accustomed to a “constant stream of digital stimulation.” In our digital society, there’s no escaping it. Ten years from now, this will be true for nearly everyone. And so to expect future generations to be satisfied with printed books is like expecting the Blackberry users of today to start communicating by writing letters, stuffing envelopes and licking stamps.

NY Times: It Don’t Mean a Thing if You Ain’t Got That Ping