Something's Missing

While reading the hyperfiction assignment “Charmin’ Clearly” a lot of thoughts were going through my mind. Concerning the plot of the story, it was interesting. In fact, it reminded me of currently popular authors. And at first the way the text differed depending on the section I clicked on was new and different, but then the negative thoughts started to take over.

I quickly became frustrated in continuously clicking on a section I had already read. And then I had no idea if I had even finished the story. Also, being unable to easily flip back to a previous section to check on the continuity of the story annoyed me.

My opinions on this story rapidly changed.

All this frustration made me wonder if I would feel the same way about the story if it were written in a book. And that’s when it hit me—with the Internet being a source many professors and authors are using, I was starting to miss books. It could that I’m still not use to all of the technological advances taking place in the world, or that the English teacher in me will always favor books over Internet, but I needed something tangible when reading.

Not only do I find having the book in my hands a bigger comfort than reading off a screen, but I seem to understand the material easier and faster when I don’t have to stare at a blinding screen for hours. Being able to mark pages, highlight passages, and being able to flip quickly through the pages is a luxury I have taken for granted until recently.

And even though school takes up so much of my time I can’t remember the last time I read a novel, I couldn’t imagine myself making time to read a story just because it was online. I end up printing out half of what I have to read online anyway.

So even though I understand the efficiency of posting writings online, I miss the nostalgia of being able to hold the book in my hands. I miss the feel of the cover, the weight of the book, the smell of the pages, and the rustle of flipping through it.