World Book Week: What's more popular, paper or screens?

 

On April 23rd, World Book Day was celebrated, marking the beginning of World Book Week, a time when reading and literature are promoted through cultural events. Although the UNESCO General Conference established this symbolic date in 1995, some book lovers have opted for electronic ink. But how popular are digital books? According to Statista Consumer Insights, China is the only country where digital books are more popular than printed ones, with 55% of users compared to 33% who prefer paper books. Meanwhile, in Mexico and India, the proportion of readers in both formats is similar, while in Spain, 52% of readers opt for paper books, in contrast to 36% who prefer digital books.

Despite the difference in formats, what is important is to read, as books offer a wide variety of benefits to readers. In addition to being fun, reading stimulates creativity, exercises memory, improves vocabulary, spelling, and enhances the general culture of those who consume it. In the words of Cervantes, "The one who reads a lot and walks a lot, sees a lot and knows a lot".

Below are five tips to encourage reading:

  1. Set a daily or weekly reading goal.

  2. Find a comfortable and quiet place to read.

  3. Discover literary genres that suit our interests.

  4. Share our readings and discuss them with friends or reading groups.

  5. Use applications or programs that allow us to keep track of our readings and discover new recommendations.

As for the advantages of reading in a book, five aspects can be highlighted:

  1. Greater ease in concentrating and reducing visual fatigue.

  2. Possibility of underlining and making annotations in the book.

  3. Tactile and olfactory sensation of reading.

  4. Not dependent on battery or internet connection.

  5. The cover and design of the book can be a work of art in itself.

However, there are also disadvantages to reading in print format, such as the weight and difficulty of carrying several books, or the cost compared to digital books. As for digital books, the advantages are the possibility of carrying hundreds of books on a single device, accessibility, and ease of content search. But they can also have disadvantages such as visual fatigue due to the light emitted by screens or dependence on battery and internet connection.

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