How the Internet Has Transformed Publishing

...and our reading experiences as we know it

Reading was always an excitable pastime of mine, a way to escape the mundaneness of reality and adventure somewhere new. When I was younger, I’d beg my parents to take me to Barnes and Noble and speed read books, clinging onto every word of every page. As I got older, things changed a bit. Instead of excitedly reading a new novel, I’d find myself incessantly scrolling on my iPhone or laptop. Traditional paper books were quickly replaced by Kindles, Nooks, or audiobooks - because they’re “easier”, people would say, “more convenient”. Within a matter of time, I no longer looked to my trusty novels for solace anymore, instead, the glow of my phone was enough to satisfy the craving for entertainment. This personal experience also resembles a very important shift in the publishing industry and the reading experiences we all used to know and love. Books, magazines, and newspapers are all getting the digital treatment - but what exactly does this mean for the future of the publishing industry? 

The American Psychological Association cited that, within recent years, less than twenty percent of teenagers in the United States reported reading a book, magazine, or newspaper daily. Eighty percent of that same research group stated that they use social media every single day. It was reported in the same study that thirty-three percent of teenagers in the 1990’s reported reading a newspaper every day. This number declined to a mere two percent by the year 2016. In all, this study shows that the attention paid to other forms of print media - magazines, books, and textbooks - has declined rapidly in recent years as well. The ease with which television shows and films could be streamed to any device contributed to this decline too. Since any visual media can be summoned at just the press of a button, books have become a less appealing form of entertainment, especially for younger generations.

Although print media has become less popular due to the reign of social media and technology, there are many upsides to reading going digital. In the past, reading was regarded as a privilege. If an individual had access to the education and resources needed to be literate, then they were considered lucky. Usually these individuals were granted access due to their socioeconomic position within society. When paper was more widely mass produced, after the boom of the Industrial Revolution, reading became more accessible to wider audiences. The priority placed on higher education during this historical period led to higher literacy rates as well. But even in more recent years, before the Internet and Apple products became a way of life, not every individual could access literature. 

Textbooks for university classes can cost up to $300 (each!) and paperback and hardcover novels usually cannot be purchased for less than $20. These price points are not exactly affordable for all demographics. As the Internet became more normalized, so did eBooks and audiobooks, because they could be purchased at a fraction of the price of their print counterparts. Resource-pooling platforms and websites, such as Library Genesis and bookboon.com allow students to cut corners, since textbooks on these sites are completely free for all users.

The book publishing industry has also evolved with the age of the Internet. Publishing houses are able to disseminate a lot more copies of texts for production costs that are noticeably lower, and the environmental implications of this are also positive. Paper and ink are not needed for digital copies of literature - and this is a big deal, since 640,000 tons of books are shipped off to landfills every year. Additionally, many freelancers and aspiring writers have been able to receive heightened recognition as a result of the Internet, as there are many different self-publishing sites available for users. These developments in the accessibility of literature are worth acknowledging, as reading should not have to be a privilege, but rather, an enjoyable and enriching activity available to all people. 

While looking at the ways that technology has positively impacted the reading experience, it is also necessary to address the ways in which social media have negatively impacted the ways in which we read and the information that we consume. Many book-worms condemn the act of reading on devices with screens solely because it strays too much from the traditional reading experience. It takes a lot of sweat and dedication for an author and a publishing house to collaborate on creating a print novel from start to finish.    

Aside from this principal-based criticism, it has also been proven that extended blue-light screen exposure can be detrimental to one’s physical and mental health. As cited by Harvard Medical School, blue-light can drastically affect your sleep patterns, since it alters your body’s natural circadian rhythm. Further, extensive time spent staring at a screen has also potentially been linked to disease - such as obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Since we already spend a significant portion of our days - and our lives as a whole - staring at screens, reading a book from time to time would be a nice reprieve from the virtual world. It is important to spend some time offline as well - and traditional page-turning books are a great way to unplug and take a break. Moving print media completely online could mean more and more time exposed to harsh blue-light, which is only harming us in the long run.

Although the book publishing industry did not suffer too much at the hands of the Internet, technology has harmed the magazine and newspaper publishing industries in some irreversible ways. Most people receive their daily dose of news or pop culture gossip from the Internet instead of local newspapers or tabloids. Sadly, many jobs in the magazine and newspaper printing industries were lost, and it is predicted that magazine revenues will continue to decline at a rate of -.5 percent annually.

My reading experience may not be the same today as it was when I was younger, but the transformation that the book publishing industry has experienced has been quite formative and beneficial in many ways. Accessibility of literary resources and minimizing the detriments of book production are two admirable aspects of the modern evolution of the novel reading experience. The Internet has had the ability to alter many aspects of all of our lives, but current advancements in technology do not have to permanently change the ritual of reading. Next time you may be tempted to binge another season of your favorite show or stream a Youtube video, remember that reading a book increases the brain’s connectivity, builds vocabulary, and even can relieve stress. Pick up a magazine next time you’re at the store or unwind by reading a (real!) paperback book in order to pay homage to the nostalgic experience of reading we are accustomed to.