On Paper or On Screen (Paper or Plastic)

[RonBoyd]

This from the August 2010 issue of the Smithsonian magazine, their 40th Anniversary issue. They commissioned 40 views of the future -- this is one of them.

Reading in a Whole New Way | 40th Anniversary | Smithsonian Magazine

Books were good at developing a contemplative mind. Screens encourage more utilitarian thinking. A new idea or unfamiliar fact will provoke a reflex to do something: to research the term, to query your screen “friends” for their opinions, to find alternative views, to create a bookmark, to interact with or tweet the thing rather than simply contemplate it. Book reading strengthened our analytical skills, encouraging us to pursue an observation all the way down to the footnote. Screen reading encourages rapid pattern-making, associating this idea with another, equipping us to deal with the thousands of new thoughts expressed every day.