Wired has an interesting article written by Jonah Lehrer about the future of reading on screens. Lehrer points out that advances in technology are making it easier to consume content on television, computer screens, etc., but he worries that this could backfire with books. He says that we may consume the words unconsciously and not truly contemplate the meaning of what we are reading.
“I worry that, before long, we’ll become so used to the mindless clarity of e-ink – to these screens that keep on getting better – that the technology will feedback onto the content, making us less willing to endure harder texts. We’ll forget what it’s like to flex those dorsal muscles, to consciously decipher a literate clause.”
The full article can be found on Wired’s website.