The Reader's Devices: The affordances of ebook readers

Abstract

Print books and ebook devices now co-exist in a reading ecosystem. The ways in which readers understand and describe their experience of reading on ebook devices is shaped by long-established cultural expectations about the abstract as well as the physical affordances of the print book. Ebook devices cannot help but challenge those expectations. A review of readers' reactions to the emergence of ebook devices offers a glimpse into the complex cultural position of both the idea and the experience of reading.

The affordances of reading/writing on paper and digitally in Finland

“…Fortunati and Vincent's (2014) answer put it quite plainly: "digital media do not automatically convey richer communications in term of sensorial and emotionally intense experience" (p. 49). This conclusion might partly stem from the longestablished cultural expectations about the physical affordances of printed media (MacFadyen, 2001). This study indicates that Finnish students, who have adopted computers in school some years earlier, show signs of more versatile and richer use of digital reading and writing technologies than their Italian counterparts.…”

Do Adolescents Prefer Electronic Books to Paper Books?

“…Whereas a paper book is owned by its purchaser, leaving them free to share the book without constraint, the eBook is licensed, leading to ongoing contention over the use of digital rights management (DRM) technologies to prevent the unauthorised sharing of eBooks [2]. These DRM mechanisms can be frustrating for users, in that they add to the complexity of locating and reading eBooks, particularly for academic users [8].…”

“…The eBook offers a similar experience to reading a paper book, as well as "stand-alone capability (no computer required), fast downloading, thin cases, large storage capacity, and access by either wired or wireless internet" [6]. It also offers scope to read in a public environment simultaneously shielding the text choice from view, which can be felt to be advantageous where reading preference may not be socially acceptable or desirable [2,7].…”

“…Annotations made in print books may offer greater comparative privacy and permanence. For example, the annotations of eBook readers can be lost in instances of eBook withdrawal by sellers, which is permissible under existing licensing agreements, and was notably exercised in 2009 when Amazon deleted George Orwell's 1984 from its customers Kindles following the revelation that they did not have adequate electronic distribution rights [2]. While the current range of eBooks may be inferior, with only 20% of US adult eBook users always able to access books in their preferred format [4], it can be anticipated that this availability is likely to improve over time.…”

“…While eBooks have been in existence since 1971 [1], the 2007 entry of Amazon into the device market, coupled with its strong distribution focus, has led to increased interest in eReaders [2]. However, predictions that the surge in interest in eBooks would lead to paper books becoming obsolete have not come to fruition,…”