Book readers in the digital age: Reading practices and media technologies

Abstract

With the rising popularity of digital reading media, leisure reading is undergoing a transformation process. However, the reasons for readers to adopt e-book reading or to stick to traditional printed books are mainly unknown. Therefore, we explored demographic and motivational differences between print readers, digital readers, and readers using both reading media. We further studied their book-reading practices, like the amount of reading, the preferred genres, the different reading situations, and if there are dedicated reading media for specific genres or situations. Additionally, we explored if digital reading media have changed the reading process or just appeal to a certain type of reader. Therefore, we conducted a survey ( n = 779) of adult book readers about their leisure reading behavior. The results show that print readers, digital readers, and readers using both media differ in age, gender, amount of reading, genre preference, and the situations in which they read. Furthermore, digital reading media especially foster reading on the move.

Global perspectives: library professionals' views on multimedia books in airlines

“…Understanding air quality, temperature, layout and facilities is critical since they substantially impact passengers' cognitive and emotive evaluations, influencing their overall pleasure and behaviour. Furthermore, user-adaptive systems, which provide personalised in-flight entertainment offerings, improve passengers' experiences (Han, 2013; Liu, 2007; Schwabe et al , 2023).…”

“…According to their findings, contextual motivation and task relevance influence participation in electronic recreational reading. Furthermore, digital reading for leisure is most popular among passionate readers, showing that ebooks supplement rather than replace traditional books, especially among frequent print readers (Schwabe et al, 2023). Díaz et al (2024) warn against excessive screen use, especially among children, due to the potential negative impacts of digitalisation.…”

Literary Reading on Paper and Screens: Associations Between Reading Habits and Preferences and Experiencing Meaningfulness

“…Future research on the impact of medium on cognitive and emotional aspects of reading need to apply more fine‐grained operationalizations of both print and digital media, with due attention to the differences between various types of screens (mobile phones, e‐readers, tablets, laptops) as well as various types of print media (printouts versus the authentic book). For this endeavor, recent qualitative research exploring motivations and rationale driving avid Kindle readers' choice of medium for various types of literary texts are especially informative (e.g., Kosch et al., 2021; Schwabe et al., 2023; Spjeldnæs & Karlsen, 2022).…”