Five years ago I wrote why people read less online than with print:
People spend less time reading online news than reading printed newspapers because reading a screen is more mentally and
physically taxing.
I’ve no hard and fast evidence to offer. This is just my observation. It would make a great research project for
someone.
Last week The Guardian reported on similar research in Readers absorb less on Kindles than on paper.
The story says researchers at Norway's Stavanger University asked people to read the same short story on a Kindle and on
paper. Those who read on paper did a better job of remembering the events than those who read on paper.
A similar study looked at a school student comprehension test which show those who read the paper document performed
better than those who read digitally.
None of this surprises me, it mirrors my experience. I've noticed I get more from reading print than digitally. Also my
eyes tire much slower with print.
If I have a serious editing or sub-editing job to do, I've learnt that proofreading a printed document is more accurate
than working directly onscreen.
I doubt knowing readers absorb less with digital books will change anything. Nothing is likely to stop the world moving
from print to pixels. But there's a danger we'll know more and understand less.