There is no particular guarantee of anything being truly "permanent."
Paper can last a long time, but only if properly prepared and stored. AFAIK most paperbacks are not printed on acid-free / lingin-free paper, and will eventually deteriorate. Paper books and records can also be thrown away, fall apart, or otherwise fall into disuse over time.
With digital, the data is easier to migrate. However the substrates (CDs, DVDs, hard drives etc) are not yet anywhere near as stable as high-quality papers. More importantly, these items require multiple hardware and software intermediaries, which may be extremely difficult to decode 100 or 200 years from now. The data can also wind up getting neglected.
However, it's also worth noting that with billions more people in the world than in the past, and with such higher literacy rates, if we stuck to paper we will drown in it in the near future -- meaning more will be disposed as we run out of storage space. It will be nearly impossible for future researchers to dive into paper records and resources anywhere near as effectively as they will into digital records, due to sheer volume if nothing else.
I'm going to hazard a guess that Eco is suggesting that some of the tech fanatics are looking forward to the end of the paper book. I for one have little problem with a future with less paper use, mostly for environmental reasons and due to the difficulties of preserving and searching the massive volume of papers. But since the goal is to preserve the information rather than the physical form, I don't think the idea of a "digital Taliban" is warranted.
Does that mean I need to dress like a traditional Afghani now?
