I Think I Owe the Internet. Maybe I'll buy it a pizza...

Ink on a Page

In my literature and creative writing classes, I often feel like the minority in discussions about print verses digital books. In almost every class, there is someone who begins to vehemently rant about ebooks or passionately declare their zeal and devotion for a physical-book experience. If people who support digital reading chime in, it is generally a last-minute defense, or a neutral comment.

I used to be one of the first to chime in and explain (as book-lovers almost always do) my love for the smell and feel of physical books. But now, because I stand firmly with one foot on both sides of this issue and because one side is generally not as well represented in my section of the English department, I generally play devil's advocate. So there's my bias, right up front.

I have a large collection of bound, paper novels. (Some of them actually reside in my home and some of are still only a part of my dream-library.) The books that I love the most, those that I want to read again and again and again...those I buy a hard copy of. That medium allows me to fasten my experience of actually reading the book in my memory. And it gives me an experience that is different than when I read on my ipad. (Notice that I said different, not better.)

But--I also like to have a digital copy of all the books in my hard-copy library. And all of my school books, every essay I've ever read (including the ones I read for non-school purposes), I prefer to read in a digital format. Why? Digital copies help me get through boring, long, or otherwise difficult texts. I read almost the entire Wheel of Time series in one summer because I had it on my ipad. I could just read and read, completely immersed, without being daunted by how long the book was. The digital format allowed me to have a positive, manageable relationship with that extremely long (but super awesome) series.

Ebooks also allow me to highlight and mark up my books. (As well as search through them, carry them all with me, and easily quote sections of the material.) It pains me to mark up my own physical copies because I can't fully erase the markup and physical texts are so much harder to find things in. I have a much better experience with my school texts when they are digital.

That being said, I find Manovich's commentary about cultural interfaces really interesting. When I read an ebook, I rarely read it on a desktop or laptop. The screen is too wide, the words are too small, it's too far away from my face, and it just doesn't look...magical. And books are magical. Instead, I normally read on my ipad. My kindle and notetaking apps allow me to have a tactile and aesthetically pleasing experience with the texts I'm reading (which allows me to appreciate them more and pay more attention to them). Even though this experience is different than the tactile and aesthetic experience of reading a physical book, I still enjoy it.

My husband asked me on our first date over Facebook

It's true. Some people might find that insensitive, impersonal, or etc., but the social media medium didn't negatively effect my experience or my relationship with my husband--it improved it.

Digital communication can enhance and extend relationships when people are separated by distance. The world is more connected than it ever has been. For me and my husband, there were many distances technology let us overcome. We lived down the street from each other growing up, but we both existed in very separate social circles. We both are more reclusive and prefer to interact with people we know well, not strangers. So the best way for him to start interacting with me (without me thinking he was a creepy stalker and shutting myself in my house) was over Facebook. When we started dating and I went off to Snow College, we skyped each other almost every night and had a closer relationship than couples I know who live in the same house as each other.

On the other hand, digital communication can also feel awkward or be of lesser quality than face-to-face communication. Now that I'm married and live with my husband, I don't like having extensive text message conversations with him, and talking to him over the phone is weird... I see him every day and get to talk to him every day, so chatting with him digitally is unnecessary and doesn't compare to the experience of actually being with him.

But it gets even more complicated than that...There are some people I can have a better experience with if I talk to them over email or skype. These are generally relationships I don't need or want to invest all of me into, or relationships that I need to handle carefully. Experiences that would be more pleasant and awkward face-to-face can be enhanced and more meaningful to me if I use a digital medium. I don't have to worry about that person's immediate emotional reaction, or my own immediate reaction. I have time to think and craft the experience in a way that is less volatile and creates less misunderstanding.