In the rise of technology, many of the things we once considered to be essential are now rendered almost useless as developers aim to provide more convenience and wider access to do tasks with just one little gadget.
In the era of the touchscreen, has paper lost its touch?Old-fashioned as paper may seem, especially for the younger generation whose fingers have spent more time on the smooth screens of electronic gadgets than ink-stained on the rough edges of the paper, the print industry seems to remain enthusiastic about the relevance of the paper.
Through the sea of new media available for consumers to use, there appears to be something that keeps the paper industry afloat.Offscreen LearningAmong the firm believers of paper’s undying potential are of course the people within the corners of the room that first taught us its value through handwritten projects, book reports, etc.
This means that even with technology offering people more convenience and with younger people getting more computer literate, the hassle of taking down notes on actual, tangible paper is still best preferred.While some people may also argue that those who refuse to use tablets or laptops for school works just haven’t indulged themselves yet with technology because “they’re too old” or “they don’t know how to use a computer”, a Nielsen report begs to differ.
What’s interesting about this finding is that this was conducted on the generation that’s not too young to be part of the market for new technology, but also not too old to remember what it was like before the world decided to modernize, and yet they still subscribe to the latter.But of course, there’s a difference between what the students and parents prefer and the results when these methods are really applied.
As cited by the Paper and Packaging Board, a survey done in five countries by Dr. Naomi Baron, a professor of Linguistics at American University, revealed that 92% of the students considered print as the best medium for concentration, and comprehension was better facilitated when the reading material can be held and felt.