Can we ever escape technology? This question permeates many of the conversations in our communications classes, the idea that society has reached a point where almost nothing exists without being influenced by technology. This threat of digital dominance scares me as it threatens to destroy one of my great loves in life, reading. The Kindle and other digital reading methods have dominated our culture as a technological marvel that revolutionizes reading. I’m here to convince you that reading is one thing better left without the effects of our overly digitalized world.

I’ve always loved reading, for its endless escapism from daily life into the lives of lovable characters, and being absorbed into their world’s problems for even just a moment, helps me forget my own. I seek out novels that immerse me in the lives of complex and lovable characters, I seek books that leave me on the edge of my seat waiting to know how the next moment plays out. Whether it’s fantasy, adventure, romance, comedy, or all of the above, reading allows me to dive into a world where my problems seem temporarily displaced. For a moment, my worries lie not with the next paper I have to write or if I’m ever going to be able to afford to move out of my parent’s place. Instead, my concern is only with the lives, troubles, and agonizing romantic tension between the characters within the story pages.

Beyond the immersive effects of reading, I also love the intentional time it gives me away from technology. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to spend hours in front of a screen binge-watching TV or playing Mario Party with friends, but sometimes some time spent away from technology is a good thing. I’m sorry to say it, but your parents were right about this one, living in the real world is much better than coasting through the digital one.  

I’ll admit that despite my previous advocation against it, digital reading, like most things doesn’t come without its perks. In fact, as students, we benefit from accessibility to online reading all the time. I for one have saved countless dollars and space in my bag by finding textbooks online. Having all of my readings in one singular Macbook, I don’t have to worry about remembering to grab my textbook or feel the strain on my back as I carry a 300-page text around campus all day.

Even in the reading I do outside of school, I’ve found that digital reading manifests in my newly found admiration for audiobooks. As someone who drives quite a ways to school, filling this time has become a challenge as I enter my third year here at SFU. Audiobooks have given me more time to read books of my choosing, something I hardly have the time for between classes and trying to keep up with the course readings (key word is trying). Now, instead of desperately trying to find the perfect playlist that fits my mood at the end of a long day on the mountain, I can simply escape into the same stories that fuel my imagination and console my worries.

Now as for the Kindle… many people say that the device has made them engage with reading like never before. At the risk of sounding like a promotion for the Kindle’s latest model, the device’s compact design allows readers to keep their books accessible to them at every point of their ever-moving lives. The worry about remembering and the weight of carrying your physical book is no more, the Kindle allows an entire library to fit in the palm of the reader’s hand. Have you ever been scammed into reading a book that everyone on TikTok says is a ‘must read’ but then it turns out to be nearly impossible to get through a single page without dying of boredom (Just me? Okay). If this ever happens to you with the Kindle, you don’t have to worry about not having a good book when a bad one comes around. All you need to change your story with the digital device before you.

In a society heavily permeated by digital devices, intentional time away from technology seems harder to achieve than ever. Although the Kindle device offers flexibility and better storage for those who prefer their ever-growing TBR (To Be Read List) to take up space on their digital as opposed to physical shelves, I would like to promote the physical book as the most fulfilling medium to escape into an author’s storytelling.

So while the physical copy of your next read may not have all the compact features that a kindle does, reading the physical copy of a book allows you to truly escape the intrusive nature of technology in our everyday life. Now, as your parents might say, put those darn screens away and read a book for once!