The social book

Although we date the "age of print" from 1454, more than two hundred years passed before the "novel" emerged as a recognizable form. Newspapers and magazines took even longer to arrive on the scene. Just as Gutenberg and his fellow printers started by reproducing illustrated manuscripts, contemporary publishers have been moving their printed texts to electronic screens. This shift will bring valuable benefits (searchable text, personal portable libraries, access via internet download, etc.), but this phase in the history of publishing will be transitional. Over time new media technologies will give rise to new forms of expression yet to be invented that will come to dominate the media landscape in decades and centuries to come. if:book, bob stein

The paragraph above made me realize just how little we can envision how "books" in electronic formats might change human culture. While I don't think it will be any 200 years before we see genuine changes in how we interact with postliterate information and entertainment, it will change in probably more profound ways than the change from reading biblical tracts on scrolls to Moll Flanders in folios.

When I think about the "future of the book," I too often concentrate on the gadget, not on the actual content and experience. In my readings, some of the interesting things that already seem to be happening include:

1. Reading is becoming social. The part of the video below that struck me as most important is the small bit abut the vampire series that includes a link to an interactive fan site (about 1 minute 45 seconds in). Yes, such sites are already popular, but this integration seems amazing

2. Reading is becoming interactive, less distinguishable from gaming. Years ago, I asked my son the characteristics of a good video game. He quickly replied - complex characters, interesting plot, realistic setting, and lots of action. Hmm, all ways some of us might just describe our favorite literary genre. Will tomorrow's "readers" be content to be passive, to not have a say in the outcome of the plot?

3. Narrative will include (or be supplanted by) multimedia. Check out the Vook for mature readers or any e-book now created for children. My questions is: Once they've experienced the multimedia city, will be ever be able to keep them on the print-only farm? Or do we need to?

4. Print will include built-in comprehension aids. We can already click on words to get links to pronunciation,  definitions, and translations. How did we ever function before? Or how did our ESL students learn? (So not so revolutionary, but danged helpful!)

5. Content will self-adjust and include built-in tutors, prompts and comprehension checks. Our NWEA MAPS tests already get harder or easier based on student responses. Why not textbooks that adjust as well?

I suspect many of these transitions will be difficult for some of us who have long enjoyed and benefited from plain vanilla books. We may even fear that future generations may be in some ways deprived if they don't come to see the joys of long blocks of unenhanced text.

But while I admit up front that the unadorned Michael Connelly will be my first choice in spending a quiet evening, I will not rail against my grandsons enjoying a more interactive literary experience.

Comments

[Robin Henry]

I find these discussions very interesting, but I would disagree with number 1. Reading is not becoming social. It has been social for quite some time. Some of the first reading was monks reading from Bibles to other monks while they worked. In the 18th century, readers discussed books, read aloud, and read silently in the same space, just as they do now. Why do we always presume that everything we do is somehow new? Now we have audiobooks, where previously, some family member was doing the reading live. The vehicles of discussion change--now we use social networks instead of letters, but social is social.

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Robin,

Point well taken. Much of what technology does is simply make old behaviors a bit more convenient or immediate. We've even had online book discussion tools for some time.

I guess I was just struck by how the interaction with others seemed to become a more integral part of the reading experience - not having to leave the book itself to converse.

Thanks for the reminder that there really is nothing new under the sun!

Doug