The Pew Research Center’s new report on e-reading offers insight on just how rapid the rise has been in both ownership of e-reading devices and the popularity of e-reading. More specifically:
- half of all adults (50%) now own an e-reader or tablet, and
- more than a fourth (28%) read an e-book last year.
So What?
In 2010 almost no one owned a tablet or e-reader; today more than half of American adults own at least one such device. Given the newness of the technology it isn’t surprising that many are using them as a supplement to their reading of words printed on paper rather than a replacement for such. As ownership rates rise even higher and people have more time to become familiar with this new way of reading, I suspect that we will reach a point at which most reading is done through a screen rather than a page.
- When did you purchase your first tablet or e-reader (or, if you have not yet purchased one: when do you intend to do so)?
- How many books do you estimate that you read in 2013? What percentage of these did you read electronically?
- Do you expect the percentage of words you read electronically to rise somewhat or rise significantly over the next 5 years?