Reading by the year 2110. Reading behavior and mobile reading devices. A case study.

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to present results of experiments conducted in a project course held at the Berlin School of Library and Information Science. The aim of the experiments was to find out if and how human reading behavior is influenced by electronic reading devices. The students conducted three experiments. The first gave an overview on how people react to new reading technology/devices. The second and third were exploring implications such as reading rate, concentration and symptoms of fatigue. Test objects were the Sony Reader PRS-505, iRex iLiad, Laptops and the Smartphone HTC Touch HD in comparison to printouts (DIN A4: 210 by 297mm) and books. Contrary to common opinions the results show that concentration when reading does neither depend on reading media nor on reading rates. Furthermore, rather the nature of a text (scholarly or novelistic) and the person's personal preferences and habits influence reading rates and concentration. Future research on this topic should include experiments with more participants and a wider selection of different reading devices.