Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

...After years of using my portable digital library, the honeymoon period had started to wear off. My life with the digital library was getting complicated. From books not downloading on certain devices, to formatting issues, to some eBooks having illegible low resolution diagrams; I had a longing for the times of old. I didn’t want to troubleshoot my reading experience, I wanted the world to disappear and the story I was reading to take over. I had purchased an electronic version of Eric Reis’ book ‘The Lean Startup’ a year or so ago and I recently wanted to re-read it. This time around I opted for a physical paper book and left my iPad at home.

The reading experience was unlike anything I had become accustomed to reading digitally. It was simple, just one book; a start, a middle and an end. The print and imagery were clear and for the first time in years I had focus...

We’ve made a habit of filling those hundred random spaces in our day with glances at Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. But those glances have slowly become stares, and those stares have grown to encompass a major portion of our waking hours.

The end result is the same person who spends 127 hours per year on Instagram (the global average) complains that she has “no time” for reading.

The fact is, the ability to read is becoming a source of competitive advantage in the world.I’m not talking about basic literacy. What has become exceedingly scarce (and therefore, valuable) is the physical, emotional, attentional, and mental capability to sit quietly and direct focused attention for sustained periods of time....