We're really taking a look back in Chapter 2 at the technology that allowed Mass Comm to exist and flourish. It's a bit of a history lesson, which isn't such a bad thing.
The quiz will be open from 6 p.m. Wednesday until Midnight Friday.
Now this week's discussion topic. In May Amazon announced that sales of ebooks had outpaced paper books for the first time. With news increasingly moving from print to online, can you know envision a future in which print technology no longer exists, and the written word is entirely a digital medium?
Ironically the link is to the New York Times, a bastion of the print world which is trying to keep its print product alive by charging readers on its Web site. However, you get 20 free stories online a month. If you've already exceeded your total shoot me an email and we'll work something out.
Please post a response by Thursday evening. I will try to interject comments when possible, but I work during the day so I don't always have the opportunity.
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Amazon sales directly indicate the shift we are making from the majority of books being sold in traditonal form. There are Many implications from the sales of ebooks exceeding the sales of paper books for this industry today. I am wondering what is the downfall to this or the cost? I have grown up around the book business. My parents owned a local bookstore in a small town. I can see a future where all media is digital and I do understand many of the benefits of this techonolgy but also worry that one day we won't have any local "one of kind" bookstores.
ReplyDeleteIt is very astonishing to see how we have transformed in the technological world over time. I am not surprised about the ebook sales, yet I do not feel that this would be a good, long-term shift. Books and print help milestone society and our culture. I feel that restricting this to becoming all digital would be a disadvantage. Not only would it decrease the value of bookstores, since which would erase job opportunities, but this would also push more reliance on electronics (which I feel needs to be avoided).
ReplyDeleteThe fact that ebook sales are doing so well doesn't surpise me at all. If anything surprises me, it's the fact that it has taken this long. We as a society hold onto our traditional methods because they envoke a sense of nostalgia, but the truth is we are a society that's fueled by convenience. We all remember when this revolution happened with music, yes there was a lot of hesitancy from record stores (to say the least), but now I can't imagine actually travelling any further than across my house to purchase music. It is unfortunate for the big chainstores like Borders, and all the little Mom & Pops out there, but we will quickly find it will not only be easier, more convenient, and cheaper to ebook shop, we will also quickly forget the days of having to lug around huge stacks of textbooks for our college classes. And that is a plus!
ReplyDeleteIn this day and age, people want to do more with less. Why carry around a book when I can read the same thing on my iOS or Android device? Personally, in the last few years I have been purchasing eBooks for the same reason. I want less clutter and I can read books on the go and not have to carry around a physical copy. I can pull it up on my iPhone that is already in my pocket. People want something flashy these days. I find that actually turning pages with my own hands is far more fulfilling. Much like listening to The White Album on vinyl has more soul than it's mp3 counterpart. The smell of an old book is still amazing and I feel like I get a better connection to the book when I can actually touch it. Maybe that's just because I'm old school. The fact of the matter is that publishers can more than likely save millions upon millions of dollars by publishing a digital copy opposed to a book. Here's the kicker, for practically the same price! It's unfortunate but it's not really a surprising fact to see.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article and seeing all the facts of e-books surpassing printed ones, it would not surprise me if eventually everything is digital. Nowadays, most people have a computer and as things like kindles become more reasonable priced, the average person can afford multiple technological devices. Just like the evolution of music from record players to Cd's to iPods, companies like Barnes and Noble are changing with the times. Originally a book store, Barnes and Noble has recently introduced the Nook, an e-reader. It is good that many big companies like this can keep up with the many changes that are happening every day. This is why I can most definitely envision a world where no or very little printed material exists.
ReplyDeleteIm going to have to agree with what Brad said above. The society we live in today is completely ruled by what is cheapest, easiest, economically friendly, and of course convenient. E-books ties right in with all of that. Why carry around a 30 pound backpack when you can fit it all on a kindle that tops the scale off at a whopping 14.6 oz. I think that like everything it has its' benefits as well as its downfalls. For one, at least it is getting more people to read and personally I would rather read on a kindle. On the downside, It will eventually shut down a lot of book stores and decrease job opportunities. Take Netflix for example, you can stream movies, t.v shows, documentaries, etc, whenever you want for only 8 dollars a month. That utterly destroyed the movie rental industry. I personally don't think that our world will go entirely digital at least not for a few more decades. It would take to much to put a kindle or electronic device in the hand of every american. As time progresses I can absolutely see the printing industry diminishing tremendously, but I think that it would take a whole lot more for a complete digital society.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late response, I misread your post for a due time. I am not surprised at all by what I read in the posted article. I am also only surprised with the fact that it took so long for this technology to appear. I personally know a few friends who found ways to read books online as opposed to purchasing expensive books years ago. While I agree there is nothing like the feeling of flipping through the pages of a book, E-Books and other digital books do have their advantages. I myself had an issue with the MyLabs when I was first introduced to the system. However, benefits like not having to carry around my heavy college texts soon won me over. It seems to me it is no longer a question of if everything will switch to digital but of when. While some doors will close others will open. Rather than fight or fear technology, I feel the only way to survive the changes that will occur is to embrace it.
ReplyDeleteKt
"Change has long been a fearful thing for human beings ... and at the same time, it is our most Divine opportunity. Clinging to the banks of the river may seem safe and more secure, but life's possibilities are truly engaged only when we trust, release and become part of The Flow of the Universe."
- Chelle Thompson
I can not only envision a world without print, but I already live in it. Newspapers have long been in decline, as many (especially the young) turn to online sources for their information. I find many online discussions far more informative and worthwhile than the articles which prompt them, as the articles have a limited amount of space, more people to please, and may not present all sides of the issue.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is, in comparison to digital media, print is extremely impractical. It must be complete and edited, manufactured, distributed, and advertised. In contrast, costs for producing online articles and online "web communication" (as described in the chapter) are next to nothing. Online posts can be edited, discussed, and clarified. The news, instead of being a mosquito preserved in amber, can become a living, adapting organism.
The changes are not restricted to news media, either. Books are cheaper to produce digitally, as is music. Nobody sends letters any more. In fact, I expect textbooks will begin to die out as the move to digital media redefines the learning environment.
In the long run, this move to digital media reflects a similar move away from face-to-face, tactile living experiences. This truth frightens many who have lived with a hands-on world for so long. However, technology moves on regardless of what Grandpa thinks.
I apologize for the late response and my lack of response to the earlier posts. The network at my school is not yet compatible with this site, and I'm posting from the Hampton Inn. I hope to get the whole computer situation squared away next week, but until then, these discussions will be a bit limited.
Participating in an academic discussion from a computer at the Hampton Inn. That's the post-modern classroom I suppose. Thomas' post is a reminder that by participating in an online course as instructors and students we are engaging in the academic equivalent of Kindle or iTunes. And I think that is an important point. We are trying to recreating something (a classroom) in a digital format. Kindle is doing that with books, iTunes with music, though I think the online classroom may be a more radical departure from the original than the former two examples.
ReplyDeleteI'm an old record store employee from way back. I even sold eight tracks though ultimately watched as they were phased out for the more practical and durable cassette tape. I don't miss tapes, but I do pine from time to time for records. It's been decades since I spun a 12-inch disc of black vinyl. My music now all comes from the computer or iPod.
This I believe is an important conversation. As we shift to new technologies, is resistance generated entirely by our discomfort with the new, or is there something lost when we eliminate the tactile feel of the page or that moment of collective anticipation when side one plays out and the party waits for someone to flip the disc over for side two?
I really don't know the answer to that question. But it's our job in this class to try to figure that out.
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ReplyDeleteIt is not surprising that eBooks have outsold print books. The cost is cheaper, the delivery is instant, and electronic storage eliminates the need for book shelves. There may very well be a day when print books are no longer produced. This becomes a very clear explanation for why bookstores like borders are going out of business. Who wants to pay for print, when they can download an eBook? Unfortunately this may eventually downgrade the book industry, since the value of books will be significantly less.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few downfalls to technology like e-books. For one, our history as a people. Ever since the beginning of our history there has been great writings from great people and the original writings are preserved for hundreds of hundreds of years. You can actually see the age in them and it sort of takes you back and really makes you think about how it really was back then. Next, I love technology and I am big on some of the new stuff but don't it seem like you alway's end up with problems with new technology, or a new better version comes out every couple of months, which gets expensive. What about the future too, what if we abandon written text all together and then our computer programs overload and crash? Kinda scary to think about, we have already done it with pictures, I don't even want to think about the priceless pictures I have lost on my phones and computers. I guess eviromentally it can be a good thing with less paper being needed but I feel strong about keeping the books around.
ReplyDeleteI can't really envision a world where there is no printed word. Like it said in the article, there are a lot of places around the world that still sell printed material and have no hint of the electronic world. I, for one, would hate having no printed books. Staring at a screen for too long isn't good for you and gets more tiring than if looking at a book page. A lot of people still like to have the tangible, real thing in front of them and the pleasure of getting to flip a page to see whats next. Also, many jobs would be lost of there were no more book stores. And that is just what America needs right now... not!
ReplyDeleteI think it will continue to grow, but not totally take over.