Thoughts on the future of reading
To the editor;
The technology of today’s world has become so advanced, with no end in sight in its possibilities. Computers are a marvel that my beloved mother never lived long enough to be amazed by. With just the click of the mouse, one can readily check medical sites, for example, to research the health concerns they are dealing with. This can give them some information with which to take to their doctor visit. The Internet has given us the capabilities to send e-mails to friends, many of whom live on the other coast. How enthralled mom would have been to sit at such a marvelous machine, looking at e-mails, and be able to see one suddenly arrive from a grandchild living in California, another from a grandchild off in Boston, and several others from grandchildren who live locally.
However, as great as this all is, I’ve seen some down sides to it all. For instance, as nice as it can be to receive “instant mail” — I still look forward to going out on the porch to find out what the mailman brought today. There is nothing like being surprised by a card bearing the message that “I’m thinking of you” in familiar handwriting, while talking briefly with the mailman about what is going on in your life. Modern technology is steadily robbing us of needed human contact.
The main reason behind my writing this letter is a commercial, which aired while I was watching either “Glee” or “The Event.” In the commercial, a young child is reading a book … on one of those what are they called IPads? The words appear on the screen. In order to get to the next installment of the story, the child moves her hand across the screen.
Then, as I straightened up pillows on the couch and knickknacks on the stand in front of it, I listened to people who were being interviewed on a news program. They were being asked about how they felt in regard to having to use this new method of reading a newspaper, magazine or book. One man, in particular, remarked that when he reads his newspaper, he like to be able to spread it across the table and hear the rustle of the pages when he turns them. One woman made the comment that after a long day, she likes to recline in her bed with a good book — and cannot see herself doing this with anything other than a real book. Everyone else who was gathered around, on camera, voiced similar concerns.
Well, I would like to share my feelings and say that even though a quick e-mail is great — especially if you need to get serious instant messages to relatives who live away from home (and IPads are pretty cool, I guess) … I prefer to have a mailman deliver letters to my house. I prefer to peruse the local newspapers, rustling the pages as I turn to a new section. The same applies to magazines and books.
Speaking of books … what affect does this place on to publishing companies, and writers, like myself, who have ambitions of seeing our work published in book form? I have just recently finished the second of two manuscripts (two very compelling stories) and also have a plethora of very intense poetry written during the inner struggles of my short-lived time in high school. I have a real dream to see them all published — but not on an IPad! I want to see them bound, gracing bookshelves, their spines bearing both the title and my name. I want the pages to rustle as a reader of my works turns the pages. I want to see the works, that bare what is on my heart, to be read and enjoyed one day … the old fashioned way.
Perhaps, I’m just an “old fashioned girl” at heart.
Caribou
