The way we read has changed dramatically in recent years.

Reading text off a screen – whether for cost, convenience, online content, collaborative reasons, or otherwise – is normal.  We read from computer monitors, handheld devices, TV screens, you name it.  What used to be in a textbook or magazine is now held on a PDF, through an online subscription, or from an RSS feed.

The change in format brings with it a change in reading methods.

You may not realise it, but what you see on screen can be altered in so many ways.  For example, Twitter users don’t have to read user updates via the site.  They can read from a standalone software client, such as TweetDeck.  They can use an alternative website, such as Brizzly.  The relationship with the text changes each time.  The question is, how much can the relationship change?

Whether it’s 140 characters of text or an entire ebook, you don’t know how others are consuming information compared to you.  What you see is what you get.

But what do you see?  How are you getting it?

With books, you had less choice.  Yes, there are hardback and paperback versions.  Yes, the layout of a new edition of a textbook can radically change.  Yes, a scribbled-in-the-margin copy of a book can suddenly look very different to a brand new copy of the same book.  But most of the time your view on paper isn’t going to be radically different to another person’s view.  What you make of the text, of course, is a different matter.

Moving to the screen, it’s impossible to tell all the different ways a text can be consumed.  Even a relatively standard PDF of a book can be resized, reshaped, and made to scroll in different ways.  The customisable nature of the texts should help you concentrate on the writing itself, but I’m sure it doesn’t work as simply as that.

There’s no right and wrong, but there are advantages and disadvantages to whatever method of reading you employ.  Here are some:

SCREEN ADVANTAGES

• Easy to annotate.
• Customisable.
• Cuttings, screenshots and quotations are easily taken.
• Can be read in many different setups.  Even printed out on paper, if you must.
• Even non-customisable text can be customised for easier reading with the right tools.
• Often have access to links and further discussion.
• Can easily look up terms and definitions with a quick copy and paste.

SCREEN DISADVANTAGES

• Not reading in isolation.  Disturbances away from text and other on-screen interruptions.
• You’re more likely to scan the information, rather than fully immerse yourself in important detail.
• Suits most in small doses and quick hits.  On screen reading doesn’t work for many as an extended exercise.
• Not portable…unless you have an ebook reader and compatible file.
• We’ve become used to reaching for the keyboard and Google for finding something out.  The Web is our dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, textbook, and more.  Yet the answer may be in a reference book right next to you…

PRINT ADVANTAGES

• In print, we’re naturally faster readers.  Reading from a monitor slows reading speed down. [Could we end up evolving as electronic text becomes the norm…?]
• Much easier to focus on a physical text.  No *direct* distractions.
• Portable.  Sometimes heavy, but still portable!
• Easy to flick through and scan.
• Quick access to contents, index, glossary, and any important pages.
• Physical bookmarks stand out and take you straight there.

PRINT DISADVANTAGES

• Not easy to search.
• More difficult to make notes.  Either deface a book, make a formal note (when it isn’t always convenient), or buy expensive post-its/bookmark tabs.

We can’t live without physical books OR electronic text.  Both are required for effective study.  The same can be said for our own writing.  Do you take electronic notes, or use good old handwriting?  As HackCollege explains, there are pros and cons to both methods.

But are we beginning to treat books with less importance?  Once you get used to so much online reading, returning to a book can be a strange experience.  You end up reading as if you’re browsing at times.  Your eyes wander without focus and you look for the bottom line, that important take home point…even in fiction!  Through fear of wasting time, we’re losing touch with the detail.

How do you prefer the written word…virtual or physical?

[Update: On March 21, @jamesclay published a podcast “Do you like books or do you like reading?” which gives more information on the pros and cons of e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader and Apple’s iPad. Well worth a listen.]