The image on the right is a really creative marketing strategy by Milwaukee Public Library. I like how they mention sites that just about everyone is familiar with.
The amount of technology including social media, e-readers, tablets, computers, and more, is overwhelming. Technology is a very good thing because it puts the world at our fingertips. Social media has formed a global community of users. It has also helped us keep up with the lives of our friends and family more easily.
Social media can be used to share what we are reading. We can share passages from our Kindle via Facebook or Twitter. We can also follow Amazon or other Kindle related users to keep up with the latest news and reviews.
The drawback is that it is all a major time suck. The time we used to spend curled up with a book or playing outside is now spent on Facebook. More and more of our interactions with others are done online rather than in person.
So, how does this all relate to the Kindle? Well it is more of a topic for discussion than anything. If you could take a break from social media for a period of time, would you do the same for your Kindle? I am excluding the Kindle Fire from this question because it is more tablet than e-reader.
In my personal opinion, there is something that sets the e-ink Kindle apart from other gadgets. It is considered electronic, but it is built in a way that simulates that feeling we get when we read a real book. I curl up on the couch and escape into my Kindle books often. Does anyone ever say they’re addicted to the Kindle? If so, do you consider that a bad thing?
I think social media also affects the quality of what and how we read. We are exposed to so much information that we have to filter it out. So we spend less time reading more in depth material.
So, how can we use the technology more effectively? We will have to actively allot time for various things. Check e-mail or Facebook twice a day, get outside for an hour each day, etc. Read for an hour a day. Those are just examples.
It is amazing to me that just 10 years ago a majority of what is out there now wasn’t even invented yet. However, books have been around for a very long time. Now e-readers add another medium for reading them. Happy reading!