Nowadays for many people the Internet is replacing regular books. What do you think will happen in the future and what is your opinion?
It is irrefutable that the Internet and the other forms of e-media have come as a threat to the physical book. My view, however, is that despite the many threats, the book will remain as strong in the future as it was in the past.
Many people fear that the book may not survive because of the many threats it has been facing. Films were an early threat because they were very effective in telling stories in a visual way. Next, there was the radio followed by the TV and finally the internet. Surely, there are enough reasons why the book ought to be dead. But, it is not just alive, it is hale and hearty.
To further strengthen my point of view, I would like to segment books in three categories. In the first category are books that deal with academic curricula of schools and colleges.
Students will always need to buy these books and carry them in their bags to schools and colleges for learning.
In the second category there are all the types of general education books like dictionaries, thesauruses and the like. The use of these books may be affected slightly because of uploading some of their content on the net. Other books dealing with diverse subjects like history, geography, cookery and hobbies will hardly be affected in any way. This is evident from their robust sales at the book counters.
In the third category we have the books dealing with fiction. These are companions for the traveler as well as the home bird. Their position can hardly be affected. Added to this the book is such a practical tool; it doesn’t cost too much; it is usually small enough to carry around and it can be easily revisited.
To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that, despite the threat of the internet, the book has maintained its place. So I feel we’ll never go without books because they have served us so well for so long.