While not exactly news, it’s fun to look at a conversion-of-an-e-reader-skeptic story every now and then. Here’s one from Florida International University Medical Library Digital Access Librarian Bohyun Kim. Despite the digital nature of Kim’s job title, she had never really been tempted to get an e-ink e-reader device—mainly because she already had an iPad.

But when she checked out a Kindle loaded with e-books from the university lending library, she found she enjoyed the experience more than she expected. And although the lighter weight and less eyestrain-inducing screen were nice, what she really liked was the way there were few other distractions to get in the way of her reading.

The greatest problem I had with an iPad ‘as an e-reader’ was that aside from its weight and the eye-straining screen, I could not really concentrate on reading for a long time. I don’t know if this is a non-issue for others with stronger willpower. But for me, this was certainly a big problem. While reading, I would get easily distracted into web surfing, checking e-mails, and reading tweets and Facebook updates.  On the other hand, on this single-purpose device, it was easy to continue reading for a much longer time. Sometimes, I would have an urge to go online and do something else. But often I would just ignore the urge as I simply didn’t feel like moving.

As a reader, she enjoyed the experience, though as a librarian it made her cringe that, while she was reading just the one e-book she wanted on the device, she was blocking other people from being able to read the 90-odd others that were also stored on it.

I keep running into people who are happy that e-readers save them from their own distractibility. While I can understand how this works, I find it a little puzzling: when there’s a book I want to read, fire and flood can’t distract me from it, let alone the burning desire to check my Facebook—even if I’m reading it on a device that can do both. I’m more likely to look up from the page (be it paper or digital) and discover it’s two hours past the time I meant to go to bed.

But on the other hand, I have problems watching TV shows and movies on my computer without pausing them every five minutes to check on something else. So maybe it’s just the form of media that’s the problem for me.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Chris, I’m like you: when I’m reading, it’s hard for anything to distract me from it. But I think we may be in the minority, and I can see lots of people getting distracted (especially with pinging notifications of new text messages or FB posts) on a multi-purpose device.

    I definitely enjoy the single-purpose nature of the Kindle (and find it superior to LCD devices due to lower weight, lower price, longer battery, and being easier on the eyes) — I am rarely if ever temped to play games or surf the web on it because I’d rather be reading. But I do enough reading that a single-purpose reading device makes sense for me. For others, it may not.

    Maybe at the end of the day, people are either readers or they’re not — and the device (paper book, e-Ink e-reader, or LCD tablet) won’t change their habits all THAT much. Heck, some people might prefer to read a little, then swap some texts, then check FB … while we prefer to be immersed in a book for hours. So people should probably chose the device that’s best for their existing reading habits.

  2. “The greatest problem I had with an iPad ‘as an e-reader’ was that aside from its weight and the eye-straining screen, I could not really concentrate on reading for a long time…… While reading, I would get easily distracted into web surfing, checking e-mails, and reading tweets and Facebook updates.”

    I think this is a truly bogus issue. In real life we have children, tv, traffic, rain, sun, coughing, sneezing and all kinds of everything that be distracting. Either you want to read or you don’t.

  3. I also don’t get the stubbornness of e-reader folks that any other functionality not be on the device. I read when I read, and if facebook distracts me successfully, then I’m on the laptop. If its so easy to get distracted, having to reach for the coffee table isn’t going to stop me.

    This really grates on me because I am one who doesn’t see the point of replacing my computer. An iPad would be an ‘extra’ device to me, so I don’t buy it, and instead find myself wishing one of the ereaders would put a decent mail app on their device- or a day planner- etc. I understand the limitations of e-ink, but if I can flip a page in a real day planner, and highlight and make notes in my kindle, why can’t they get these things together? Only thing I can think of is that customers keep underestimating their own will power (after all, they are reading right?) and demanding they not be included. I’d love to see the option!

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