Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
I entirely agree with you, but is someone who's genuinely poor likely to have an eBook reader and internet access anyway? An eBook reader is very much a "luxury item", to my mind. Libraries are still available to those who wish to read paper books (which I live, at least).
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That may depend on whether you think "genuinely poor" means "every penny's pre-spent before it's acquired, and life is an endless struggle with debt" or "people with very little leisure money per month, perhaps enough to take the family to the movies, *or* have a dinner in a restaurant, but not both."
With e-readers as low as $80, they're available on very small budgets. (I had one on a very tight budget when they were more expensive because I'm content for my *entire* entertainment budget to be directed to books.) Also, last-year's-ereader has become a common gift item, especially for friends or relatives with disabilities that would be greatly helped by ereaders.
Rural poor may not have internet access; in big cities, almost everyone does. Computers aren't a luxury item; they're considered basic appliances, like a phone... almost can't get a job without one. Children who don't have one at home, have internet access at school. And whether or not they can have an ereader, almost everyone has a smartphone. It's almost impossible to find a cellphone that *doesn't* have internet anymore.
Libraries are available for the poor... in the areas where they're not shutting down or slashing their hours. Libraries are considered a luxury service; they're one of the first to get hit with budget cuts.