E-merging Ways 2 Read
Stephen Abram has a poll on his library blog which asks a simple question
Poll: What do/should we call people who read the e-versions of books or other media?.
Despite most of the comments questioning the need for such a word (this I confess was also my initial reaction), It turns out on reflection to be a pretty good question. There are more ways of reading than there used to be. One of the more contentious types of reading (though not particularly new) is via audiobooks, which many would justifiably say is not reading at all. Suppose I listen to an unabridged version of The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler. If I meet another hard boiled mystery buff who asks me if I've read it, should I say yes?
It's not like I'm claiming to have read the book based on having watched a movie adaptation. I really did go through the book word for word and know the precise course of the written narrative, and the author's individual linguistic style just as well as if I had read a print version or an e-book. Most of us in this situation would interpret the question of "have you read the book" loosely to mean are you familiar with the story as opposed to the movie? And most of us would answer yes without the slightest pang of conscience. A few might say "well actually I listened to the audiobook", but as long as it was the unabridged version, both parties would likely agree that they have a more or less shared experience.
But there are of course important differences between the two experiences as well and maybe a new word isn't such a bad idea. My friend may have read the book in the half light of a dingy bar with a gimlet in front of him for optimal verisimilitude; whereas I listened to it driving up highway 400 on a long weekend drinking Tim Horton's coffee.
And there are further variations on this possibility. I have on several occasions borrowed both an unabridged audiobook as well as the print version, or more recently, an e-book. I will listen to the book when driving, washing dishes, sorting laundry or anything else that requires my hands but not my imagination. Later, when I am sitting on a train or bus, or at a table I will switch to print or e-book find my place and keep going. Moving between print/e-books and audiobooks is a little tricky, because a bookmark (whether electronic or physical ) is practically useless for this type of reading, but you can still keep track of chapter headings. In fact with many e-audiobooks it's easier than with those on CDs because the audiobooks sometimes allow you to locate a chapter. This situation will improve as someone is no doubt even now working on ironing out this minor problem.
With the increasing availability and appeal of e-books and e-audiobooks, we will likely begin to notice differences in how we read. That 800 page tome looks a lot less intimidating now that it fits nicely onto a tablet. Many readers may download a story without even taking note of the length I always lamented the fact that I knew I was drawing near the end of the book I was enjoying by the thinning number of pages to the right. You just knew there weren't going to be any new plot twists, romantic interests, or alternate and better solutions to the mystery. I often thought that if I ever wrote a book, it would be fun to include an extra 50 pages of something completely different after the end so that the reader wouldn't see it coming. Then while thinking they were still a good ways off the ending would sneak up on them: SURPRISE! I'm not sure how many publishers would have gone for this idea, or if it was ever tried but the point is now moot. The desired effect of this crude innovation has been superseded by the 2 dimensionally thin format of electronic books. You never need to know when you're on the last CD or page until you're there. If anything, the availability of e-books and e-audiobooks make it more possible than ever to get lost in a story.
So while you're pondering the question of what to call readers of e-books, you might also reflect on some words for emerging reading practices? Is there already a word to encomapass the varied ways we can engage with a "book" in varied formats? How about Readia? What would you call someone who switches between formats? Textually Liberated?
It just hit me! I've got an answer for Stephen's question. Nookworm! Maybe not sufficiently brand-neutral but it's the best I can do.
Suggested reading
The Late American Novel : Writers on the Future of Books
One thought on “E-merging Ways 2 Read”
I use eAudiobooks even though I think that listening to a book is a different experience. I love its portability. Perhaps listening to a book is more akin to listening to a storyteller. Perhaps there are more similarities to reading a print book and an e-book. Since I don’t read eBooks perhaps I am not the best person to comment. Certainly I know I tend to scan computer pages and I am highly influenced by layout.
You made me curious about the brain use differences and it seems that conventional wisdom (acc to Google!) is that the same brain areas are activated. However Oliver Sacks does not agree, according to this review. http://thirstylinguist.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/the-minds-eye/
Got to make a hold for The Mind’s Eye.
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/search.jsp?Ntt=mind%27s+eye+sacks
So your question about a label for us – how about “listener” and “reader”? Or “book listener”