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Screen reading and paper reading have differences in reading patterns and depth. The increase in screen reading has led to research on how readers use screens. Screen reading is slower than reading from a printed page. E-readers aim to make the experience of reading from a screen more like reading from a printed page. The debate continues on the relative merits of the two forms of reading.
Screen reading is the practice of reading text on an electronic display instead of a page. While there are clear similarities between the two types of reading, screen reading and paper reading have some important differences, including the pattern used when reading on a screen and possibly the reading depth involved. Many experts believe that readers use very different techniques when reading from a screen than when reading from a page.
The development of computer technology in the last decades of the 20th century meant that an increasing number of people, particularly in the developed world, used computers at work, at home or for study purposes. For many in the first world, reading from a screen is now much more common than reading from a printed page.
This rapid increase in screen reading has spurred both speculation and research into the ways readers use screens. In 2006, Jakob Nielsen published a study of screen reading which showed that screen readers read in a characteristic F-shaped pattern, skimming through much of the text and focusing only on key passages. Nielsen concluded that this different reading pattern meant that web content providers had to be careful about reusing print content, as the two types of text read differently. Despite readers’ tendency to skim, however, screen reading appears to be slower than reading from the printed page.
The differences between screen reading and paper reading have been the source of some controversy. Some commentators, including Rosen, have condemned reading from screens as lacking the depth and discipline of reading from a print source, while others argue that screen reading is a particularly valuable skill of its own. Authors, publishers and educators remain divided on the relative merits of the two forms of reading.
Some companies have produced electronic devices intended to make the experience of reading from the screen more like the experience of reading from the printed page. E-readers such as the Kindle manufactured by Amazon.com, as well as e-book software for tablets, use a page-like interface with dark text on a white background. Some even use a page-turn gesture as a page-turn command. By making the experience of reading from an electronic device similar to the experience of reading from a printed page, manufacturers may be able to overcome some of the negative impressions associated with screen reading.
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