In 2007, Kindles were released by Amazon and ended up becoming one of the most popular types of e-books. Since then, e-books have become more essential for everyday use, as they are used in classrooms for textbooks and people tend to read material off their electronics. This advancement is impressive, but the underlying negative effects can leave a person wondering whether or not the simplicity of accessing an e-book is worth it.

Many people argue that e-books are essential and efficient, especially in today’s world where technology is flourishing. Understandably, people like the feeling of not having to carry around a bunch of books for classes and personal use. Easily accessing a book within the search bar of the Google page for a cheaper price or even for free and the eco-friendly aspects are factors that e-readers appreciate.

Our brains retain information faster whenever we read in print due to how our cognitive functions work. Studies have shown that reading off a screen can cause us to process information slower or not at all. It is difficult to focus on words that are on a blue light screen. Also, having to scroll to get to the next page leads to difficulty in actually reading what is being displayed. Screens don’t do an effective job of helping readers maintain focus. When reading on a screen, our minds tend to skim the text we’re reading. The attempt to process a string of words on a blue light screen is redundant, and has no long-lasting use on a reader’s comprehension.

Deeply reading and fully immersing yourself in a story is important, and e-books do not allow for this to occur. Paper books ultimately allow people to concentrate on what they are reading rather than simply just looking at words that their brain can’t fully process.

Eco-friendliness and e-books might seem to go hand and hand at first. However, it has been proven that they aren’t as eco-friendly as they seem. Supplying batteries and chargers for e-readers requires the use of natural resources such as metals. This can cause mining waste as well as air and water pollution. E-books require energy,and it is evident that burning trees doesn’t go into creating E-books, but it’s unfair to disregard the different ways they pollute the earth.

Generation Alpha might experience the worst of this technological epidemic. It has been proven that Gen Alpha absorbs information differently due to technology. It is not rare for someone to see a kid glued to their IPad at all times. E-reading has already been implemented in elementary schools, and they’re using “interactive picture books” which are essentially picture books on an IPad. The interactive element can be over-stimulating, and children aren’t able to fully grasp the contents of the book. Technology can hinder a developing brain from having the ability to learn as well as they are supposed to, so e-reading is not ideal for a child with a fragile brain to engage in.

It’s important to not underestimate the negative effects e-books can have on a person. Electronic books might be more efficient to access, but constant use of them isn’t worth the issues they cause. Alternatively, people can start buying used books because they help ease tensions with both concerns of high costs and environmental concerns. Overall, reading a physical copy of a book gives more in return than e-books do.