The World of Ebooks

Recently, I saw a person reading an ebook. I have never seen an ebook before and to see a person actually using it in daily life was simply fascinating. I approached the person and asked cordially, "Is that an e-book that you are reading?" The person gave me an uneasy glance as if to suggest that I had no business in knowing what she was reading and nodded. I ended the conversation with an awkward "Oh..." and went away. It was interesting to see such a response because I remembered an article in NY times talking about a similar incidence. With the development of ebooks, the author of the article was able to notice less communication. People will no longer know what other people are reading. When a person is reading a paper book, some other people may look at the cover and think about reading that book in the future. I think this is one of the tragic results of development of technology. Technologically advanced devices have given people individual spaces that other people cannot invade. Though privacy is a valuable asset one can possess, people in this technologically advanced days have become less communicative and less social. Another thing that I am worried about ebooks is the strain the screen causes on the eyes. Increased usage and indispensability of computer have already caused failing eyesight in many people. Now, even a book is a type of computer screen? There are certainly countless benefits to ebook. Ebooks are more sanitary and easier to carry around. However, I don't want the paper book disappear because of advancement and spread of ebook. There is something magical about the smell of new book and the feeling of papers flipping through your fingertips that give meaning to reading. And as long as people remember such sensation when reading a paper book, I don't think paper book would vanish because of ebook's domination.