Books have definitely changed since I was a child. E-books are taking over printed materials in terms of popularity and convenience. We are also seeing may people using audiobooks or reading graphic novels. When I was a kid I remember using audiobooks in school, but I definitely do not recall children checking out audios at the library. I feel like comics and graphic novels were somewhat popular years ago, but now I see kids checking out graphic novels at a consistent basis. I wonder if my library even had a graphic novel section 20 years ago. I may have to look into that.
The act of reading has definitely changed throughout the years. I feel like our society is so fast paced now-a-days. Allison Hiltz stated in an article that, “But today, our attention spans are not what they once were – the world moves at a much faster pace and more information is available to us in a wider range of formats than ever before. Whilst once books took time to produce and time to read, today a Kindle version of most books is available in a few seconds at the click of a button – it’s instant literary gratification. In the past, books were more rare and prized; medieval manuscripts and leather bound classic tomes graced the bookshelves of the wealthy, and people had access to books only at schools, or borrowed novels from friends or their library rather than purchasing a copy themselves. Today’s readers are just as likely to get their fix online or on their Kindle rather than heading to the local bookstore.” http://www.thebookwheelblog.com/we-all-know-the-benefits-of-reading/.
I think “instant literary gratification” is a great term to describe the future of books, reading, and publishing. In 20 years reading will be much more interactive. Although, I do think that traditional publishing will be around at some capacity. There are still many people who prefer to read the physical copy of a book, (including myself).
Overall, I just feel like the general public has no idea where we as a society will be in terms of technology in the next couple of decades. The rate at which technology has been evolving is staggering. I think in 20 years“the knowledge and skills embedded in our brains will be combined with the vastly greater capacity, speed, and knowledge-sharing ability of our own creations.” (Kurzweil)
Thanks for reading!