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Originally Posted by Moejoe
It's an interesting point, and I don't know, but would those in the clutches of poverty be able to afford a computer and the neccessary internet subscription to download books onto that computer?
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Of course not everyone will be able to afford a computer and internet access today, and while they will become ever more accessible in the future, there will always be some who don't have them. But a) the cost of computers and internet have dropped dramatically and will continue to drop and b) this is true of all necessities, or not-really-necessities that are nonetheless essential to a civilized life.
I live in the mid-west, in a region where, according to local historians, the majority of families pre-World War Two didn't have indoor plumbing. This included not only the destitute but also significant numbers of fairly well off rural and farming families. And today, of course, anyone who's not actually homeless has access to indoor plumbing. Standards of living increase, luxuries become necessities, and the benefits eventually permeate society.
Will absolutely everyone one day have a computer and internet access? No; but that's also true of food, shelter and medical care. I suspect that those living at the subsistence level have greater problems than access to computers, ebooks, or paper books, for that matter.