“Ever wonder which method of reading is better for you–electronic screen or printed text?” asked Mashable in reporting on a recent study by Research Unit Media Convergence of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), in cooperation with MVB Marketing–und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels GmbH, operator of the e-book platform Libreka!
The answer: “There are no disadvantages to reading from electronic reading devices compared with reading printed texts,” according to the study, which asked participants to read a variety of texts on an Amazon Kindle 3, Apple iPad and in print. Reading behavior and brain activity were examined by an EEG machine and eye tracking tools.
“There is no (reading) culture clash–whether it is analog or digital, reading remains the most important cultural technology,” said Professor Dr. Stephan Füssel, chair of the Gutenberg-Institute of Book Studies and spokesperson for the Media Convergence Research Unit at JGU.
Mashable noted that “even in today’s digital age, most of the participants in the study stated that reading printed text is still more comfortable than reading from a screen.”
The study also found that elderly people “read even faster using the iPad as it made reading easier than both the Kindle and traditional book,” the Daily Mail reported.
This was a PR-stunt, not a serious scientific study.