Tech journalist Larry Magid comments on the current transition of physical to digital media (notably books, CDs, DVDs) and its potential impact from consumer and cultural perspectives.
He notes that a lack of shelves housing our physical media may take away a viewable history of our hobbies, interests and education.
“The loss of this visible manifestation of who we are may be of little consequence to most people, but it’s a loss worth noting,” he writes, adding that books, CDs and DVDs are becoming endangered species that will eventually become expensive luxury items.
Magid points out that this is not necessarily all bad, citing the multiple conveniences of e-books and digital storage of music and movies.
However, he makes an exception regarding his record collection: “I do have a soft spot for LPs. Some say they have a warmer sound, but what I mostly like about LPs is the covers and the ritual of carefully placing them on the turntable and lovingly returning them to their sleeves. And there is nothing like flipping through those old album covers for a trip down memory lane.”
“I do think there will come a time when we won’t easily be able judge a friend by his book covers, but somehow society will endure,” Magid concludes. “Maybe we’ll have to settle for talking to people to find out what interests them or, perhaps, someone will create ‘an app for that.'”
Tech journalist Larry Magid comments on the current transition of physical to digital media (notably books, CDs, DVDs) and its potential impact from consumer and cultural perspectives.
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