When I was younger, I used to love going to the bookstore and spending hours picking out the perfect book to spend my allowance on. Bookstores are still one of my favorite places to go. I love the feeling of holding a new book and turning the crisp pages. I love the smell of the ink and paper, and I love the satisfaction of turning pages as you venture further and further into the story.

The small pleasure of books is lost to many people as they run from class to class or from activity to job. Reading a book is a leisure that most people don’t have time for anymore. Very few take a moment to relax, pick up a book and get lost in another world.

I also love being online. I have a blog that I’m on for multiple hours a day. I enjoy finding pictures, quotes and news stories that inspire me and sharing them with everybody else. I use it like a journal to write about things,  as well. The things the Internet can dig up astound me. You can learn so much just by clicking on links and reading articles on websites.

My love for books and the Internet, however, does not coincide. I am deeply saddened by the swift move of print media sources to online ones. One of my favorite bookstores, Borders, closed this summer. I was shocked when I heard that the entire chain was closing and moving to the Internet. The trend of print media is quickly changing to everything being available electronically.

E-readers, Kindles, Nooks and other electronic “books” are taking over and printed books are getting kicked to the curb. Why? They’re portable, you can fit hundreds of books on one piece of technology and you don’t have to leave your home to get the books.

I’m terrified that in a few years, all media will be only available online. Reading a book, newspaper or magazine loses its allure when you stare at a computer screen. The physical sensations are completely lost. I do not believe that reading a print book and reading a book on an e-reader is the same thing. I don’t think unfolding and browsing a newspaper are the same as scanning a website for links to news stories.

I plan on going into journalism, and I have to accept that my career will probably  be online. I’ve always dreamed of holding my own publication in my hands, but I’m starting to see that this might not happen. I understand as a mass communication student that being connected on the Internet is important. I even had to create a Twitter account, which I swore I’d never do. As long as I get to write for a magazine or newspaper, I’ll be happy. It still doesn’t quite compare, however, to the physical thing.

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Kelsey Sutton/Copy Chief
Kelsey Sutton can be reached at [email protected].