In recent years, more and more people are choosing to read e-books rather than paper books. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

An increasing number of people are preferring to read e-books instead of paper books off late. Even though this is perceived as a positive trend, it is my opinion that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The advantages provided by electronic books are numerous. Firstly, one of the primary benefits of using e-books is that it is very easily available and accessible literally within the touch of a finger. Secondly, electronic versions of books are considerably cheaper than hard copies of books and free versions can also be found on websites. Thirdly, E-books are easier to store in a gamut of electronic devices, providing a previously unprecedented level of accessibility to literary material. Last but not the least, E-books can be stored in a variety of formats. This has contributed significantly to a revival in popularity for books. This is evident from the development of devices such as the kindle specially devised for reading books. The development of the digital formats for books is also aided by the development of technologies such as cloud storage and applications specializing in these areas. However, there are also quite a few disadvantages to the e-book format. Firstly, a principal disadvantage against this format is that it is contributing to the increasing problem of addiction to electronic gadgets, leading to health problems among all the generations. Lastly, older generations have opined that reading a book on a phone or an electronic device does not provide the satisfying experience that a hard copy provides. To conclude, electronic books have a plethora of advantages and easily available. however, older people will prefer the vintage of physical copies of books, ensuring the traditional format survives.