Does reading on line have any diadvantages as opposed to reading the book? ?

Question

Thank you so much ...

Answer 1

Reading online lacks the familiarity and comfort of reading from a book. A paper book can be opened and flipped through, while an electronic text is more difficult to navigate.

When reading online you miss the tactile feeling and smell of pages.



Eyestrain from screen glare is another disadvantage of reading online.

Answer 2

Oh, Lord, it's so -slow-!  I don't have the patience to read on-line, or to listen to audiobooks, either.

Answer 3

I. for one, dislike reading online. Reading is a pleasurable activity, I dare say its a luxury, when you hold a book and flip through the pages of a pleasnat smelling volume. The book invites you to itself and then allows you to be comfortable and that makes the occupation worth the expense.

Reading online is, if anything, a volatile and vile way to tire yourself. The screen doesnt invite you. It glares back at you with wide open eyes and throws its painful beams into your brain, so much so that after a little while your head is spinning around with pain. You have to stop concentrting and bring the activity to an end.

It lacks the excitement of opening and smelling the fresh pages- its been a life long love of mine- the smell of fresh pages in a bound book.

Online reading can only exhaust your senses, not calm and activate them (sight, smell, audio) into a pleasurable state.

TW K

Answer 4

Very much so, in my opinion. Since I was a high school sophomore in AP English--and all through college as an English major--I've been writing in my books as I read them.

Little notes about characters, themes, language, imagery, etc. I feel like it helps me synthesize the book so much more (usually)--not to mention it really helps when it comes time to write 15-page papers. :)

Even now that I'm out of college, I still find myself with the urge to underline interesting passages, or make notes. It's like a special sort of interaction that you can't get reading off the computer screen.

Answer 5

Believe it or not - Yes.  Studies are pouring in showing that current levels of exposure to electronic media are actually changing the way our brain develops and how we think.  Attention span is shortening, the ability for in depth critical thought is lessening, and long term memory is also decreasing.  All that because people aren't picking up books anymore.  And yes, it counts even when it's the same exact words on the page and on the screen - it has to do with the way we process and move through the information in the different mediums.  And the younger you are - I believe 18 and below is where it's most noticeable now, but it might be 19 already - the more profound the changes are because they were exposed to this mass electronic media at an earlier age than those older than them.  

It's a very fascinating field of study with tons of stuff coming out, and tons of actual books are available if you're interested.  I've also included two articles about it that are posted on the internet (which I find very ironic considering their arguments).  

In terms of studying (totally disregarding the rewiring of the brain) it's bad as well.  Simply because you can't read on a screen as long as you can on a page.  We've known that for a long time, secondly because it's easier to make notes and establish memory of material when we can use all five senses.  

My advice - play on the internet, maybe some minor preliminary research, but for everything else get the good ol' hard copy.  Buy the newspaper, buy the book, and visit the library for any research that will last longer than two hours.

Answer 6

You get eye strain on the computer

Answer 7

Only if you're trying to do it on the bus to work.