Paperback and hardcover books alike are soon to join the list of extinct species, just below dinosaurs and mammoths.
As technology continues to advance on a near daily basis, people have begun to shun books, newspapers and magazines for electronic alternatives. The hype surrounding the Nook, the iPad and other e-readers allow for a more portable and easier to use device in comparison to carrying around an actual book, where the most one has to do is simply turn a page.
With the upbringing of e-readers that have basked in all its technologically advanced glory since its coming of age, both the sale and production of books have minimized and deteriorated significantly. Some odd number of years ago, retail grocery stores had their own section dedicated to books and magazines, just as they had for CD’s and DVD’s. With the progression of time and technological advancements that made their way into nearly every little thing and somehow made themselves a part of many people’s daily lives, the entire world became more accustomed to significantly larger sections in stores dedicated to electronics and other technologic gadgets, while book lovers saw the obvious minimization of their beloved book sections.
More and more people are becoming dependent on technology; some save their entire days’ worth of work onto their iPhones and tablets, while others make a living off of their time spent on their electronic gadgets. As the world faces a rather worrying and unchangeable dependency on technology, the brilliant tools that humans have used for years upon years, books, are slowly but surely making their way out of people’s lives.
With the deterioration and extinction of books, comes the extinction of libraries. Libraries, once a quiet place lined with shelves upon looming shelves of books that beckoned for eager readers from nearly every corner, now shelter people, both young and old, carrying around backpacks and satchels tightly zipped with their laptop, cell phone, iPod, tablet, etcetera, etcetera.
The dependency on technology is evident, and is serving as a prime factor as to why life just isn’t how it used to be. Sure, many people may prefer their lives with technology, as it’s an evidently quicker and easier way to obtain information, but books haven’t yet served their full purpose; books, both hardcover and paperback, bestow an extensive amount of knowledge written especially by privileged people for those who are considerate enough to pick up a book. And the fact that many people are relying on the Internet to serve as their search engines and brains essentially rips off the author from all of their hard work.
While nearly everything and anything could be found online nowadays, there’s something to books that technology just can’t replace. With technology taking over the world and books succumbing into extinction, I wouldn’t be surprised if some day, we as humans, were to completely lose face-to-face contact with another human being, instead having our heads hovering in the midst of the endlessly colorful world that technology has to offer.
