It seems to me that books may move into a more luxurious niche. The image of a book is too strong to fade away completely as a symbol of learning. A similar process might be seen if we consider tanning, as in, getting some sun. Fashion is of course, dictated by economics. Largely, this has to do with outwardly displaying the fact that one does not have to labor. Thus, impractical cuts of clothing. In Victorian England especially, this meant avoiding the sun and so, pale skin was desirable. Now, having a tan means that one can afford to travel, or spend leisure time outdoors. Obviously, the parallel isn't perfect, but if the trend in electronic books continues, eventually I think physical books may come to signify that one has the means to purchase and enjoy an environmentally destructive form of media and/or one that takes up a lot of physical space.
I wonder how much less destructive ebook readers are. I assume they are, but I wonder how often people replace their readers, and how the figures work out. I would guess that one reader is more destructive than one book.I think physical books may come to signify that one has the means to purchase and enjoy an environmentally destructive form of media and/or one that takes up a lot of physical space.
Hmm. That's a good point. I would expect that right now it's low since there's only so much an e-reader can do. But if it goes the way of the mp3 player and becomes better integrated with something more replaceable, like tablets or phones then that certainly might change.