E-Books Make Readers Less Isolated

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by thrawn_aj

Well, I've noticed that in the US, being alone in public is generally looked at askance . If you're reading (alone) in public, that's strike two. If you happen to be reading alone, in public and at a restaurant, that's sacrilege of the first order and you better get ready to be burned at the stake .

The fallacy of this comes in when newspapers are added to the mix... somehow, reading a newspaper alone while in public (even at a restaurant table) is something no one thinks twice about. So it truly is a prejudice against book-reading.

[thrawn_aj]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

The fallacy of this comes in when newspapers are added to the mix... somehow, reading a newspaper alone while in public (even at a restaurant table) is something no one thinks twice about. So it truly is a prejudice against book-reading.

Huh. I never realized that. I wonder if it comes from old-ish movies that so frequently depicted male characters that way. Makes it "alright" somehow - like a substitute for a cigarette and a glass of whiskey . But yes, I think you're right that it's limited to books (with special scorn for ereaders? - dunno, but it would fit the trend.)

[44Dave]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

("No, really; it all makes sense in context, see, there was this Pink Kryptonite and Poison Ivy's sex-pollen plants, and...")

Go on...

[tuffykenwell]

I do agree that ereaders have freed me to read what I actually want to read without having to worry about the cover and people's perception of me because of it (yes I am that self-absorbed). Since I divide my time equally between young adult science fiction/fantasy and trashy romances I appreciate the anonymity

Steph

[CraigAtk]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

The fallacy of this comes in when newspapers are added to the mix... somehow, reading a newspaper alone while in public (even at a restaurant table) is something no one thinks twice about. So it truly is a prejudice against book-reading.

That's a good point about the exception for reading newspapers alone in public. Personally I fell less self-conscious when reading a newspaper than reading a book. Although the book is usually a computer book, which may be part of my problem.

[cjottawa]

...“Strangers constantly ask about it,” Michael Hughes, a communications associate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said of his iPad, which he uses to read a mix of novels and nonfiction. “It’s almost like having a new baby.” An iPad owner for four months, Mr. Hughes said people were much more likely to approach him now than when he toted a book...

That's because he's using an iPad.

Apple is hot right now and nothing from them is hotter than the iPad.

I don't subscribe to this theory either:

...Not everyone agrees that e-readers have made the people reading them more approachable. In fact, the opposite may be true in some cases. Jenny Block, a Dallas-based writer and sex columnist, said that she thought her Kindle was a stronger pre-emptive rebuff than a book. “I think the Kindle sends the imperative ‘I’m busy, please don’t disturb me’ message when you are traveling on a plane or eating in a restaurant or relaxing at a resort,” she said, adding that the last book she read on her Kindle was “Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality.”

“And that’s a good thing,” she said of the Kindle’s imperative. “It says, ‘I’m used to doing this, don’t pity me.’ ”

I don't think the Kindle says anything other than "I'm reading a book right now."
It just isn't the recognizable status symbol the iPad has become.

I expect a higher percentage of people ask about the iPad because of the technology versus being asked "what are you reading," about my Kindle.

[Kumabjorn]

I think it boils down to our personality. If you are a technically interested extrovert and you encounter an iPad/Kindle for the first time you are likely to approach that person and ask if it is OK to disturb. I did that with an Italian man, whose English was limited, and despite linguistic barriers he was happy and delighted to show of his iPad. If you are of a more shy disposition you are likely to read the device as a barrier to encounters.

[Maggie Leung]

I didn't realize I was isolated. Maybe because all my imaginary friends won't leave me alone. Reading: It's a tough life, lol.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

The fallacy of this comes in when newspapers are added to the mix... somehow, reading a newspaper alone while in public (even at a restaurant table) is something no one thinks twice about. So it truly is a prejudice against book-reading.

Back when I used to read newspapers, when doing so in public, someone would invariably ask to borrow a section.