In today’s new age of technology books are considered to be a thing of the past, they are essentially becoming artifacts as time goes on and people are starting to appreciate them less and less because they are being replaced by things like eBook and kindle, which are both digital. Libraries have basically put bookshops across the world in jeopardy because of its public nature. People would rather sample a free product than to pay for it, but even though authors and publishers are struggling to make a living for themselves, they still have a sentimental connection to libraries because it is a community for readers to connect with their favorite writers, or to even explore new writers. The free reading that is encouraged by libraries is what makes it easy for people to forget that books are a part of the entertainment industry.
In “The End of Books” it talks about the innovation of the hyperlink, which the technology that the World Wide Web is built on that allows people to search and share information in a quick and easy manner. The new idea of the real world consists of video transmissions, cellular phones, fax machines, and computer networks, and that many young people are becoming unfamiliar with concept of print medium because it is not as contemparay as digital media. In the article it says, “But the freedom from the tyranny of the line is perceived as only really possible now at last with the advent of hypertext, written and read on the computer, where the line in fact does not exist unless one invents and implants it in the text”. The “line” that the author is referring to is too restrictive and it separate the roles of reader and writer. Where hypertext mediums, such as blogs or allows people to give their opinion and accept criticism. Wikipedia and Google are also in this category because it is interactive and helps people connects to other links that the web page may offer.
