By Rashed Meshal

KUWAIT: Imagine a world without books, without the feeling of papers, the smell, and the sensation. We might see this soon. With the rise of ebooks, the rate of printing of traditional books has decreased. However, there is a growing group of advocates for ebooks due to the environmental benefits, such as reducing paper usage and the carbon footprint associated with printing and transporting physical books. As the debate continues, the Kuwait Times spoke to some book readers to learn more.

Esraa Alharran (a book lover and student) explained that ebooks are better options for students due to the struggle they go through daily. She said, “Traditional books are too heavy to carry. They cause me backache in addition to the struggle of finding the needed book in my heavy backpack. While at the same time, you can put a whole library on the same device.”

From her point of view, another student, Jouri Alhouti, thinks that books have a great sensation that can never be replaced by ebooks on iPads. “Electronic devices give me eye fatigue and headaches because of the blue light,” Alhouti explained. For Ghadeer Ghloum, reading a book has a special feeling. “I feel great carrying it around. I like the sound while flipping the pages,” she said. On the other hand, ebooks involve interacting with a still screen that has no life or interactions with the readers, which makes physical books irreplaceable.

Many people prefer ebooks due to their environmental and financial benefits. While printing and publishing one book might cost between KD 2 and KD 5, depending on its design and the number of pages, an ebook costs less. Ebooks are often cheaper, and a single device can store thousands of books, reducing the need for physical storage and the environmental impact associated with paper production and book transportation.

According to Statista, a German online platform that specializes in data gathering, ebook sales exceed those of paper books in China, but in other parts of the world, paper books are in the lead. The study showed that ebooks are more common among younger generations, while older generations are more likely to use traditional books.

Meanwhile, according to a study conducted by the University of Plymouth, people tend to buy ebooks for their lower prices, ease of access, and ease of availability online. Also, during COVID-19, ebooks almost took over the market. Whereas the demand for printed books is still high, ebooks are increasingly becoming more popular.