Digital iterations of books have successfully penetrated the reading space. Almost every bibliophile has embraced e-books, especially with technology dedicated for reading books on digital devices and platforms.
Even then, hesitancy among readers for digital books remains high. A new survey sheds light on the patterns of readership among those who cherish the art of words.
There are many benefits that come with e-readers like Kindle – the ability to read in the dark, the elimination of storage issues and many devices have been successfully able to mimic the reading experience of a book with visual elements specifically designed to emulate the traditional book reading experience.
Even though smartphone reading has become the new normal, many have believed that traditional books would quickly lose appeal in the market and go out of circulation. Even then, most predictions have not come true. Bookstores may have disappeared across the world, turns out readers still prefer enjoying books in their hands.
According to data from Statista’s Advertising and Media Outlook, e-book usage still heavily trails behind printed books across the globe. In the US alone, 23 per cent of the population are reported to have purchased e-books last year. On the other hand, 45 per cent bought a printed book last year.
E-books remain the most popular across China, where 24.4 per cent users prefer the digital format as opposed to 32 per cent users preferred paper books.
In India, only 5.6 per cent readers have switched to e-books in 2020, while 24.5 per cent continued to read paper books. This pattern points to the future of reading. As many critics believed, traditional books would not disappear but would in fact continue to exist along with modern e-books and perhaps even complement the platform.
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