I tend to be an overachiever. So when I said I’d go seven days without paper, I took it seriously. The point of the project was not to read paper books, but I also didn’t read paper magazines or newspapers, or make lists on paper or Post-Its.
I did this party because I tend to be extreme about my projects, but it isn’t as crazy as it seems. After all, if paper really is going away, it won’t just effect books. Asmore companies decide to publish online instead of on paper, demand for pulp will decrease dramatically. Paper companies will close, the price of paper will go up, and supply will eventually dwindle to meet the decreased demand. I’m not saying this is bad or good; I’m just saying it will probably happen.
I didn’t really expect going digital to be difficult. I already use Evernote regularly, and I have an embarrassing number of Stickies open on my laptop. When I want to keep information that I’ve scribbled onto a Post-It or a scrap of paper, I take a picture of it with my phone. And I already subscribe to Wired on my iPad.
The list making went well, although I missed the feeling of satisfaction that comes when I check something off a list. (Is there an app that lets you cross things out or check them off? Probably). But reading magazines and newspapers online just didn’t really happen for me.
This was my basic problem with my ereader for everything, from books to everything else — I just didn’t read that much. I only finished a book and a half this week, and I didn’t read any magazines or newspapers. I don’t know if it’s totally fair to blame my ereader for that. Maybe I was just busy (I mean, I was busy). Maybe I just have a level of book nostalgia that needs more than a week to be defeated. Or maybe, as a customer told me this week, reading on an ereader … just isn’t any fun.
Carrie Rollwagen is co-owner and book buyer at Church Street Coffee & Books.