Reading Physical vs Digital Books

The previous Tips & Techniques article “Benefits of Reading” mentioned the many benefits associated with reading. Reading can play a role in health, knowledge, vocabulary, and more. The way we read has changed over the years with the advancement of technology. In today’s world there are two popular available forms of reading: physical and digital. These two forms have changed how we consume written media, and our understanding of what is being read.

Physical text, such as letters or books, have been used for thousands of years since it was the best and only method of sharing information and stories to people far and wide. In today’s society, the use of electronics allows the sharing of these stories or information digitally, so we can consume them on devices such as e-readers, tablets, phones, and computers. Even with digital’s ease of access in getting books or information when learning or studying new subjects, physical books have shown to be much preferred over digital formats. Several studies have been done with students regarding their preferences and the effect of reading physical versus digital formats. The studies concluded that physical books help in creating a clearer, deeper understanding of the written text. They gave the feeling of being more immersed into the book and the students were more inclined to spend longer times reading than with digital.

This immersion is attributed with the feeling that physical books provided, such as the different types and textures of paper. The weight of the book gave a sense of whether the book was a light read or a heavy read, which is lost in digital formats since their only weight is the device you read it on, resulting in all ebooks (electronic books) weighing the same. The act of turning pages in physical books creates a sense of immersion and progress as one sees the pages that they have yet to read get smaller and the pages which they have already read get larger. Some digital readers do try and copy this feeling such as swiping to turn pages or having a progress bar but not all of them do and they do not provide the same feeling as with a physical book.

This visual progress with physical books allows the mind to create visual mental maps of where information or events occur in the book such as in the beginning, middle, and end. It even helps with knowing what chapter it occurs in and where on the page. Digital books do not provide this same mental map connection. This is evident as when asked to reconstruct the plot of a book, the people reading digital had a much harder time in placing events in the right order whereas those who read physical scored much higher in reconstructing plot placement.

Many found it easier to take notes with physical books as they could highlight sections of the page, attach sticky notes, write on the page, bend pages, and place bookmarks. These features are not always present in the same way or are not possible to replicate with digital reading.

The ability to focus on reading is higher with physical books than compared to digital. The studies found that digital devices connected to internet provided distractions if they have clickable links and contain changing images on the page. Many mentioned it was easier to multitask when reading on a digital device. This was considered both good and bad as some felt it prevented them from focusing while others liked this ability since they could accomplish other tasks at the same time. Multitasking does mean that their mind was more clouded with other thoughts or distractions and it showed there was less dedication to the text with reading digital than with physical. It was found that those who read digital are more likely to skim read and use search features on devices and online functions, such as google or similar services, to quickly skim for information instead of reading the text slowly and carefully. The greater ability to focus and higher attention levels associated with physical books makes it more beneficial for people that have problems with memory or concentration. It improved their ability to stay more focused on what they are reading and to avoid or remove other stimuli or distracting thoughts.

Physical books are easier for the eyes than compared to digital. Eye strain caused by digital devices is extremely common and is known as digital eye strain or computer visual syndrome. Digital readers provide much eye strain, with a study showing 50% of people reading digital complaining of this condition. Glossy screens are shown to provide the most eye strain but even screens that promote themselves as easier on the eyes still cause strain. Increased eye strain with digital reading is due to a few factors. Screens produce a glare due to their reflective nature. This makes it hard for the eyes to focus or see what is on the screen, causing the eyes to strain to see the screen. The viewing angle of the screen will affect the eyes. Monitors have a certain viewing range to see the screen properly due to certain screen type limitations. If a person is reading near the edge or outside of this viewing range it will cause the eyes to strain to see the image on the screen. This is alleviated by some monitors such as IPS monitors as they contain a fairly large viewing range. Digital screens produce their own light to give us the image we see but this can effect our eyes.

Blue light, though produced naturally in nature, have adverse effects on our eyes with overexposure that comes from digital. Blue light has shorter wavelengths and requires more energy than other colours in the visible light spectrum. This makes it harder for the eyes and it is what causes screens to flash when they need to refresh their light settings. Blue light plays a role in the regulation of our circadian rhythm, the sleep wake cycle. The blue light signals our body that it is daytime and that we need to stay awake by preventing the release and performance of melatonin.

Melatonin is a hormone that tells the body to enter rest mode so that various sleep activities such as healing can occur. During the day, light stops melatonin release while the darkness of night tells the body to release it. It is shown that blue light compared to other light types has the biggest impact on preventing melatonin release. This is the reason that viewing sources of blue light at night such as those produced by digital screens can prevent our body from entering its sleep state. This is the reason why it can be harder to fall asleep with digital sources and why we may have poorer sleep. There are some tools that can help with digital blue light protection. This includes special glasses, or lenses or lense coatings that can be added to certain prescription glasses, that help filter out blue light. Some screens have low blue light technology that allows for the adjustment of blue light exposure. Proper light source helps with the blue light exposure and the screen’s high contrast and glare.

Physical books for the most part do not give the same eye strain as digital but shares some common eye strain problems. Eye strain with physical books are due to inadequate lighting conditions when reading. Eye strain can be caused by fonts being too small, not blinking enough which is more common when using digital devices, and not taking regular breaks when reading whether physical or digital. A rule of 20-20-20 was created, which consists of viewing something 20 feet away for 20 seconds after every 20 minutes. This technique is recommended for taking breaks and helping prevent eye strain as it helps the eyes to refocus.

Digital devices produce an electronic field, called an electromagnetic field (EMF), that can affect our health. All things produce their own electromagnetic field. This field can be interfered with or altered by other electromagnetic energy fields, such as electronic devices. Electronic devices produce an electromagnetic field that negatively affects our own. While different electronic devices can have more serious effects than others, all of them do have an effect. These field interferences are linked to conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, genetic damage, reproductive damage, and impaired immune system, along with others. It is due to this that a person should take breaks from electronic devices to allow the body to recover and repair its own protective electromagnetic system. There are also devices or products that help protect against harmful electromagnetic fields such grounding pads. These EMF protection devices can help reduce the effects of electromagnetic exposure, but one should still remember to avoid long exposure to harmful frequencies. This is something that a person will need to consider when reading on a digital device. Physical books do not give a harmful field, thus a person does not need to worry about electromagnetic field damage.

Digital formats do provide their own benefits that are not present in physical books. Many ereaders allow making adjustments to the size and type of font, making it possible to use fonts and font sizes that suit the needs of the reader. This can make it easier for people with conditions such as dyslexia to read books. If a book has images, such as science books, some digital readers allow a user to zoom closer to the image for a better view. This is not possible with physical books. The layout of the reader’s digital page can be changed to match a person’s preferences.

Many people found that they liked that digital readers made it easier to read books in the dark, though this does cause eye strain and the light that is produced has been shown to prevent people from having a proper sleep. Research showed that 54% of children that slept near a small screen lost 20 minutes of sleep. Due to its digital nature many ebooks can fit into one ereader making it easier to take multiple books on the go such as for business trips and travelling. It was mentioned that digital books are nice in they can give a sense of privacy on which books a person reads. Ebooks are usually cheaper than physical books, helping people who are on a budget. Many older books or text are available for free as their copyright has expired and there is vast resources of online information that a person can view.

A problem that all electronics have is that they can have glitches or other complications. They could get stuck loading a book, have unexpected pauses when reading, and can suddenly slow down, which can happen particularly when viewing larger books that contain lots of images. It is not just electronic devices with low specifications, such as low memory, but can happen to any electronic device. This can distract the reader from being immersed into the book.

One aspect that is always mentioned about the benefits of ebooks is that they can save trees since they do not use paper. This is true, but since physical books are made of paper it makes the entire book recyclable and thus can be used to make new books. Electronics are not exempt from producing waste that harms the environment as they produce their own e-waste. Many of the components used to create electronics need to be dug up, mined, from the earth. Not all electronic components can be recycled either, meaning they end up in landfills or need to be specially disposed of. Biodegradability is something to consider too on their environment impact; paper will biodegrade over time while many electronic parts will not. A digital book can have DRM (digital rights managements) that can prevent how the book is viewed. It might require a special app or may only be used on select devices. This DRM can also prevent ebooks from being shared or given to other people. Physical books do not have this problem. This means you can more easily share them with others, give them as gifts, or borrow them from a library.

A benefit with digital books is they can be used to create more unique and interactive reading experiences. They can be used to create books that have choices, such as choose your own adventure books, where parts of the story will have choices for you to select. These choices will affect the outcome of the story. While some physical books do have this, digital formats allow for more choices and do not require constant flipping throughout the book, creating a more seamless reading experience. Digital books give the ability to have interactive images or to play sounds when reading the story. Physical books do not provide this same interactivity when reading.

The reading of books in either form provides us with benefits to our brain’s growth and health. The different forms, though, do change our ability to comprehend what we are reading, with physical books showing the advantage in our understanding and memorization of the book’s content. Digital does give the ability to purchase books cheaper than physical, with many available for free, and provides unique interactivity, and ability to take multiple book on the go. Despite these benefits, digital is shown to have adverse effects on health such as increased eye strain and less understanding of the books content. Due to these negative effects, physical books are shown to be much preferred by readers by providing benefits such as greater concentration and clearer memorization and understanding of the books content. Whichever form a person chooses to read either physical or digital it is always beneficial to read a good book.