ARTS 2090 – Tutorial 1
Information on EREADERS:
This week’s readings discuss the positives and negatives of a changing technological world in relation to publishing, and give us an insight into the incredible potential of EBooks. I think that a recurring theme in these readings, particularly in “Why publishers are about to go data crazy” and “EBooks in South Africa”, is the rapid increase of technology, and mankind’s attempts to keep up (Sachin, 2012). There is no doubt that Ereaders and their various platforms are wonderful technological accomplishments (Naughton, 2010). Just as DVD recorders are useful for recording our favourite television shows, the Ipad, Kindle and even smart phones allow us to bookmark important articles and come back to them at more convenient times, which is an invaluable tool in today’s fast moving society (Schonefeld, 2011). These devices are as portable as any book, and offer a much wider range of reading materials (especially if the owner uses a Torrent site to download materials) (Naughton, 2010). This wide range of materials means that minority groups and subcultures are offered reading materials that might not be available in their local libraries (National Public Radio, 2010).
However, the birth of new technologies while convenient for economically and socially adapt countries, can also create some problems in countries that aren’t so prepared (Bhaskar, 2009). “EBooks in South Africa”highlights the geographical sparseness of developing countries and the lack of bandwidth that results, as well as an unawareness of online book sites (Bhaskar, 2009). If these issues can be addressed, much of the population could be subjected to a wider range of educational and entertaining reading materials.
Whilst new technologies (particularly social network sites such as YouTube and various other blog sites) have created a new sense of openness of publishing which has resulted in much confusion in terms of censorship and copyright laws, it cannot be denied that we live in an exciting world, rich with information (Wikipedia,2012). The emergence of Ereaders has somewhat diminished the informational value and lasting effect that hardcover books hold, however their long reach and accessibility can only lead to positive outcomes for users, and contribute to the lush, informational world that we now live in (National Public Radio,2010).
Bibliography:
Bhaskar, Michael (2009) ‘E-books in Africa’, The Digitalist, May 28, <http://thedigitalist.net/?p=577>
‘Commons’,Wikipedia, 2012, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commons>‘History of Printing’, Wikipedia, 2012, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_printing>
Kamdar, Sachin (2012) ‘Why Publishers are about to go Data Crazy’, Mediashift: Your Guide to the Digital Revolution, January 17, <http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2012/01/why-publishers-are-about-to-go-data-crazy017.html>
‘Publishing’, Wikipedia, 2012,<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publishing>
Schonfeld, Erick (2011) ‘How the Ipad Time Shifts Online Reading’, Techcrunch, February 4, <http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/04/ipad-shifts-reading/>
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