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In the world where technology serves as a convenience store to the human race, is there little hope left for the printed word? What does the future hold for magazines, newspapers, and books in the middle of its gyrating competition with their electronic counterparts? Witness history as eleven students take the challenge to voice out their opinions on the status of the print industry. Read, listen, see and believe.
The Fine Print is an online publication owned by a group of Communication Arts students from De La Salle University Manila in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course subject Introduction to Print (INTPRIN). Any unauthorized distribution of content indicated in this site will be heavily penalized.
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The Fine Print, in cooperation with Read the Printed Word, would like to encourage you avid readers to join the campaign in preserving the good old way of reading.
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The views expressed in this website are attributed to its respective authors and do not necessarily represent The Fine Print and De La Salle University - Manila. Special thanks to Afeeqah for the website layout. Copyright 2012-2013.
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Revival of Books
written on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 @ 3:52 PM ✈
Marielle Lee
11209682
INTPRIN A51
Revival of Books
Books now reached the technological era with the
making of the increasingly popular e-book layout. But before this came about,
books had to go through a long but significant evolution, which made it what it
is today.
It is believed that the very first attempts to record
symbols or writings onto moveable materials dating back to the 2050 BC were on
clay tablets and papyrus scrolls. Clay was easily accessible during those times
and became the writing material of the temple scribes. They used a style of
writing known as cuneiform- the earliest known writing system in the
world. Clay tablets, dried hard in the sun, make an almost unbreakable
temple archive. But are not so convenient in sending messages. (Gascoigne,
2001) Papyrus scrolls, getting its name from an aquatic plant, had a flexible
smooth surface, which allows and retains ink without smudging. Almost every
book in the ancient civilization of Egypt, Rome and Greece made use a papyrus
of this sort. (Gascoigne, 2001) A counterpart of this papyrus scroll namely
bamboo, an indigenous plant in China, shares the same convenience as the prior.
Chinese characters during this period are written in vertical columns. The
modern-day Chinese characters for a book evolved from a pictogram of bamboo
strips threaded together. (Gascoigne, 2001) The Romans around the second
century A.D. however developed parchment that was easily browseable with its
flexible double surface and is made of leather. (Gascoigne, 2001) It is the
material used in all famous illuminated manuscripts produced in the
monasteries. Within a book, the reader can move about freely and modern habits
of information retrieval became possible like index references to numbered
pages. (Gascoigne, 2001) Collections of medieval manuscripts provide
evidence of the growth of the book preceding printing. Since the development of
the printing press in Mainz, Germany, book production in Europe has grown,
which led to a revolution in publishing and to the printed book.
Throughout history, books have been used to spread
ideas through print and affect people’s thoughts and behaviors. Paper books
that started out as clay tablets are now evolved into what we all know as
e-books. With today’s commercialized society and high-tech global economy,
e-books or digital books have become the new craze with it having a multitude
of internet-connected features which leaves the old medium of paper books
crumbling. The debate between paperback books vs. e-books has been going about
for several years now and it seems to many that e-readers are the sworn
victors. So the question remains, will paper books cease to exist in the
future?
Paper books with its intrinsic features are actually
technological objects that have countless advantages as compared to those
portable digital books. One of which is that “non-computer-literate” members of
society are able to use printed books since it has a consistent easy to learn
user-interface. Only a fraction of the world has access to the Internet, let
alone e-books. Paper books are also readable with any form of light and are not
battery operated. (Bohn, 2012) Another is that the feel of paperback books give
a sense of ownership to a person and enables him to have a tangible collection
of books on shelves. “The Books show where our minds have traveled”. (Couts,
2013) These books are easier to handle and are easier on the eyes since there
is an absence of distracting user interface like pop up tasks, notifications
and the like. It provides direct interaction with a highlighter and pen when in
need of notes. It is crash proof and is also immune to viruses. Paper books are
DRM-free/digital rights management-free for easy lending and resale since there
is no intervention of a third party. (Bohn, 2012) Reading from this medium is
generally healthier for our body specifically the eyes and mind. Most
importantly, paper books last thousands of years if not more. (Bohn, 2012)
These advantages are either incomparable or poorly
matched by the said e-book design. Although digital readers also offer numerous
advantages over the paperback books, it is arguable how most of those mentioned
above are necessary to how people engage in active reading—marking up or
evaluating notes that catches the reader’s attention by highlighting,
underlining or folding a page. Essentially, several of these are central to how
most cultures are able to preserve and disseminate information for thousands of
years. (Bohn, 2012) Paper books, if preserved well and is not too acidic can
last more than thousands of years as compared to digital readers, which will
physically break down in a matter of years. This goes to show that books still
have a fighting chance of surviving. Its inherent traditional qualities
actually give its competitive edge over those e-readers that have made their
mark in the publishing world.
A philosophical belief raised by Lowery and Defleur
called the Individual Differences theory provides an explanation as to why
people prefer e-books instead of paperback books or vice versa and what
influences them to choose the particular medium. The theory states that due to
the variation in a person’s psychological makeup and opinions of things or
ideas, media influence differs from one person to another. To be more exact,
“Media and its messages contain particular stimulus attributes that have
differential interaction with personality characteristics of members of the
audience. (DeFleur, 1970 p.122) With this being said, people choose the
specific platform in relation to their specific needs. Paper Book advocates
choose the medium perhaps for convenience, practicality and the e-book fans for
functionality and maybe peer pressure. Also, books may offer information that
are not available for digital readers. The possibilities are endless. The
choice in short depends on numerous factors including a person’s environment,
culture and beliefs.
To test this theory, a set of people, that ranged from
16-27 years old, were asked to answer a quick survey about how they typically
read their books and which attributes of print media do they find appealing.
Results showed that 67% of the voters preferred hardbound or paperback books.
And surprisingly, only 21% of the respondents use e-book layout. As for the
appealing attributes, 37% opted for the design, 36% for the credibility of
content, 15% for the price, 10% for interactive reasons and 2% for other reasons.
So going back to the question raised earlier, will
books cease to exist? The answer is no, even with a slight decline of paperback
users, books will never perish and this truth is backed up with the above
statements. There will always be that person who will prefer the traditional
type of books. Books will live on and exist long enough for our grandchild’s
great grandchildren to appreciate. It is true though that higher technology has
reduced people’s motives for sticking to old fashion paper, but if one looks at
it in a longer perspective, paperback books can last a thousand years and are
for long-term archives. (Bohn, 2012) I think what we can do as media
practitioners and an audience is to give enough attention to the very things
that made the paper book industry survive and flourish (Bohn, 2012). As Martial
Macluhan would reiterate it, medium is the message. Do we really want to be
known as non-linear thinkers? Together, let us revive paper books in its former
glory and change the course of history.
Sources:
- “The Evolution of the Book.” SFBookReviews. N.p. 1999. Web.
9 Dec. 2013.
- “History of book.” State Library of Victoria. N.P. 2013.
Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
- Gascoigne, bamber. “History of Writing Materials.” HistoryWorld.
N.p. 2001. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
- Andrewcouts [Andrew Couts]. “Re: Is there any reason to own paper
books beside showing off? Not really.” DigitalTrends.
Designtechnica Corporation. 26 Oct. 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
- Dieter Bohn [backlon]. “Re: “Sorry iBooks, Paper Books still Win on
Specs.” theverge. Vox media. 20 January 2012. 9 Dec. 2013.
- Darnton, Robert. “What is the History of Books?” Daedalus 1982. :
65-66. JSTOR. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Labels: books, marielle
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Revival of Books
written on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 @ 3:52 PM ✈
Marielle Lee
11209682
INTPRIN A51
Revival of Books
Books now reached the technological era with the
making of the increasingly popular e-book layout. But before this came about,
books had to go through a long but significant evolution, which made it what it
is today.
It is believed that the very first attempts to record
symbols or writings onto moveable materials dating back to the 2050 BC were on
clay tablets and papyrus scrolls. Clay was easily accessible during those times
and became the writing material of the temple scribes. They used a style of
writing known as cuneiform- the earliest known writing system in the
world. Clay tablets, dried hard in the sun, make an almost unbreakable
temple archive. But are not so convenient in sending messages. (Gascoigne,
2001) Papyrus scrolls, getting its name from an aquatic plant, had a flexible
smooth surface, which allows and retains ink without smudging. Almost every
book in the ancient civilization of Egypt, Rome and Greece made use a papyrus
of this sort. (Gascoigne, 2001) A counterpart of this papyrus scroll namely
bamboo, an indigenous plant in China, shares the same convenience as the prior.
Chinese characters during this period are written in vertical columns. The
modern-day Chinese characters for a book evolved from a pictogram of bamboo
strips threaded together. (Gascoigne, 2001) The Romans around the second
century A.D. however developed parchment that was easily browseable with its
flexible double surface and is made of leather. (Gascoigne, 2001) It is the
material used in all famous illuminated manuscripts produced in the
monasteries. Within a book, the reader can move about freely and modern habits
of information retrieval became possible like index references to numbered
pages. (Gascoigne, 2001) Collections of medieval manuscripts provide
evidence of the growth of the book preceding printing. Since the development of
the printing press in Mainz, Germany, book production in Europe has grown,
which led to a revolution in publishing and to the printed book.
Throughout history, books have been used to spread
ideas through print and affect people’s thoughts and behaviors. Paper books
that started out as clay tablets are now evolved into what we all know as
e-books. With today’s commercialized society and high-tech global economy,
e-books or digital books have become the new craze with it having a multitude
of internet-connected features which leaves the old medium of paper books
crumbling. The debate between paperback books vs. e-books has been going about
for several years now and it seems to many that e-readers are the sworn
victors. So the question remains, will paper books cease to exist in the
future?
Paper books with its intrinsic features are actually
technological objects that have countless advantages as compared to those
portable digital books. One of which is that “non-computer-literate” members of
society are able to use printed books since it has a consistent easy to learn
user-interface. Only a fraction of the world has access to the Internet, let
alone e-books. Paper books are also readable with any form of light and are not
battery operated. (Bohn, 2012) Another is that the feel of paperback books give
a sense of ownership to a person and enables him to have a tangible collection
of books on shelves. “The Books show where our minds have traveled”. (Couts,
2013) These books are easier to handle and are easier on the eyes since there
is an absence of distracting user interface like pop up tasks, notifications
and the like. It provides direct interaction with a highlighter and pen when in
need of notes. It is crash proof and is also immune to viruses. Paper books are
DRM-free/digital rights management-free for easy lending and resale since there
is no intervention of a third party. (Bohn, 2012) Reading from this medium is
generally healthier for our body specifically the eyes and mind. Most
importantly, paper books last thousands of years if not more. (Bohn, 2012)
These advantages are either incomparable or poorly
matched by the said e-book design. Although digital readers also offer numerous
advantages over the paperback books, it is arguable how most of those mentioned
above are necessary to how people engage in active reading—marking up or
evaluating notes that catches the reader’s attention by highlighting,
underlining or folding a page. Essentially, several of these are central to how
most cultures are able to preserve and disseminate information for thousands of
years. (Bohn, 2012) Paper books, if preserved well and is not too acidic can
last more than thousands of years as compared to digital readers, which will
physically break down in a matter of years. This goes to show that books still
have a fighting chance of surviving. Its inherent traditional qualities
actually give its competitive edge over those e-readers that have made their
mark in the publishing world.
A philosophical belief raised by Lowery and Defleur
called the Individual Differences theory provides an explanation as to why
people prefer e-books instead of paperback books or vice versa and what
influences them to choose the particular medium. The theory states that due to
the variation in a person’s psychological makeup and opinions of things or
ideas, media influence differs from one person to another. To be more exact,
“Media and its messages contain particular stimulus attributes that have
differential interaction with personality characteristics of members of the
audience. (DeFleur, 1970 p.122) With this being said, people choose the
specific platform in relation to their specific needs. Paper Book advocates
choose the medium perhaps for convenience, practicality and the e-book fans for
functionality and maybe peer pressure. Also, books may offer information that
are not available for digital readers. The possibilities are endless. The
choice in short depends on numerous factors including a person’s environment,
culture and beliefs.
To test this theory, a set of people, that ranged from
16-27 years old, were asked to answer a quick survey about how they typically
read their books and which attributes of print media do they find appealing.
Results showed that 67% of the voters preferred hardbound or paperback books.
And surprisingly, only 21% of the respondents use e-book layout. As for the
appealing attributes, 37% opted for the design, 36% for the credibility of
content, 15% for the price, 10% for interactive reasons and 2% for other reasons.
So going back to the question raised earlier, will
books cease to exist? The answer is no, even with a slight decline of paperback
users, books will never perish and this truth is backed up with the above
statements. There will always be that person who will prefer the traditional
type of books. Books will live on and exist long enough for our grandchild’s
great grandchildren to appreciate. It is true though that higher technology has
reduced people’s motives for sticking to old fashion paper, but if one looks at
it in a longer perspective, paperback books can last a thousand years and are
for long-term archives. (Bohn, 2012) I think what we can do as media
practitioners and an audience is to give enough attention to the very things
that made the paper book industry survive and flourish (Bohn, 2012). As Martial
Macluhan would reiterate it, medium is the message. Do we really want to be
known as non-linear thinkers? Together, let us revive paper books in its former
glory and change the course of history.
Sources:
- “The Evolution of the Book.” SFBookReviews. N.p. 1999. Web.
9 Dec. 2013.
- “History of book.” State Library of Victoria. N.P. 2013.
Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
- Gascoigne, bamber. “History of Writing Materials.” HistoryWorld.
N.p. 2001. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
- Andrewcouts [Andrew Couts]. “Re: Is there any reason to own paper
books beside showing off? Not really.” DigitalTrends.
Designtechnica Corporation. 26 Oct. 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
- Dieter Bohn [backlon]. “Re: “Sorry iBooks, Paper Books still Win on
Specs.” theverge. Vox media. 20 January 2012. 9 Dec. 2013.
- Darnton, Robert. “What is the History of Books?” Daedalus 1982. :
65-66. JSTOR. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Labels: books, marielle
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How It All Began
The realization of a goal began one chilly September night of 2013 in Mr. Randy Torrecampo's Introduction to Print (INTPRIN) held at M206 of De La Salle University - Manila. The multi-talented and energetic Student Media Office director instructed the class to produce a final output as a showcase of their learnings on the status of the print industry. Since then, this group of eleven of DLSU's finest in the field of Communication Arts have taken their talents online by expressing various viewpoints on newspapers, books, advertisements, magazines, and digital media. And this is how The Fine Print came to be, aiming to explore the word one step at a time.
Who's Who
Sir Randy is the senior editor of The Fine Print and probably one of the few singing professors in the face of this spherical Earth. The moment he belts out the Aladdin theme song, his enchanting voice makes the world stop for a while because for they "don't want to miss a thing" (Aerosmith, 1998).
Bryan is the sole male staffer in this online publication. He is very passionate with the mass media industry and a renowned speaker.
Candice is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is currently the web manager and also a major contributor to this fine publication. She enjoys writing and eating at the same time.
Czar is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor in this fine publication. She likes to travel, create videos, and go on adventures.
Mona is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She has a really enchanting singing voice that makes everyone's hearts beat faster in addition to taking breathtaking photographs.
Erika is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She loves to draw anything that tickles her fancy.
Issa is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She is a dancer with a renowned Philippine dance group who has also appeared in several short films and music videos.
Madi is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She is passionate about fashion and indie music.
Rio is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She is an aspiring graphic artist and filmmaker.
Maisie is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She enjoys entertaining audiences with her killer dance moves.
Marielle is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She is a wonder whose size does not hinder her from being a charm to the people around her.
Sammie is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She is an aspiring filmmaker and considers Samantha Jones of HBO's Sex and The City as her queen.
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my sunshine
links exchanged opened! just tag me but link me first
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link
coming soon....
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