第 55 卷 第 6 期
2020 年 12 月
JOURNAL OF SOUTHWEST JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY
Vol. 55 No. 6
Dec. 2020
ISSN: 0258-2724 DOI：10.35741/issn.0258-2724.55.6.17
Research articleSocial Sciences
T
HE
P
RINTED
B
OOK AND
E
LECTRONIC
B
OOK
(E
BOOK
)
E
XPERIENCES OF
D
IGITAL
N
ATIVES IN
I
NDONESIA
印尼数字母语人士的印刷书籍和电子书籍（电子书）体验
Dyah Puspitasari Srirahayu a, b, *, Gancar Candra Premananto ca Library Study Program, Faculty of Vocational Study, Universitas Airlangga Indonesia
Jl. Dharmawangsa Dalam Selatan 28-30, Surabaya, Indonesia
b Doctoral Student at Management Science, Faculty of Economy and Bisnis, Universitas Airlangga Indonesia
Jl. Dharmawangsa Dalam Selatan 28-30, Surabaya, Indonesia
c
Department of Management Science, Faculty of Economy and Bisnis, Universitas Airlangga Indonesia Jl. Dharmawangsa Dalam Selatan 28-30, Surabaya, Indonesia, [email protected]
Received: June 18, 2020 ▪ Review: September 6, 2020 ▪ Accepted: October 3, 2020
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
Abstract
Information about the use of ebook or printed book that use by the digital natives could assist libraries and school professionals in selecting reading materials for their students. The purpose of this study is to understand the experience in using printed books rather than e-books. This study use qualitative and phenomenological study explored and compared the experiences of digital natives in regards to ebooks and printed books. Data collection was carried out through interviews with 26 digital natives in Indonesia with the criteria of reading book more than ebook and at least reading 2 printed books in one month. The result of tis study are printed books have their own uniqueness, such as experience of holding a book, the texture of the paper that can be touched directly (each publisher has a different type of paper), to the fragrance of the book that wafts out as each page is opened, none of these can be replaced with digital technology and when the digital natives use e-book they often distracted by social media. Moreover, due to emotional attachments, connections to identity, social rituals, and an ease of use related to printed books, the participants would not use ebooks exclusively. This study has limitations, namely the number of samples is small, so that future research can increase the sample so that the results can be generalized.
Keywords: Preference, Printed Book, E-Book, Experience, Digital Native
摘要 数字本地人使用的有关电子书或印刷书籍的使用信息可以帮助图书馆和学校专业人士为其学
生选择阅读材料。这项研究的目的是了解使用印刷书籍而不是电子书籍的经验。本研究使用定性 和现象学研究，探索并比较了数字本地人在电子书和印刷书方面的经验。数据收集是通过采访印
度尼西亚的 26 位数字原生代进行的，其标准是读书要比电子书多，并且至少要在一个月内阅读两 本印刷书籍。研究的结果是印刷书籍有其独特性，例如拿着书的经验，可以直接触摸的纸张的质 地（每个出版商使用不同类型的纸张）以及飘散的书籍的香气。当打开每个页面时，所有这些都 无法用数字技术代替，而当数字本地人使用电子书时，它们通常会被社交媒体分散注意力。此外 ，由于情感上的依恋，与身份的联系，社会礼节以及与印刷书籍相关的易用性，参与者不会只使 用电子书。这项研究有局限性，即样本数量少，因此未来的研究可以增加样本数量，从而可以推 广结果。 关键词: 偏好，印刷书籍，电子书，经验，数字原生
I. I
NTRODUCTIONThe development of information technology has impacted various fields of life, including the forms of media and information consumed by the public, where one of them is a book that now have electonic book (e-book). Gardiner and Musto [1] defined them as “books in digital form consisting of text, images, or both that c[ould] be read on a computer or other electronic device.” Ebooks were first created and popularized in the United States [2], and the first text made available in digital form was the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America; it was followed by the country’s Bill of Rights. This digitization was by Michael Hart in 1971 for Project Gutenberg, which aimed to provide books that are cheaper and easy to use to the public. Originally, Project Gutenberg’s goal was to have 10,000 books available to consumers in electronic format by 2001 [2]. By August 31, 2010, it had surpassed 37,500 titles, had made plans to provide 40,000 books to the public, and would continue to grow [2].
Several studies found that some students choose ebooks over printed books for learning activities such as Buckley and Johnson [3] and also Khalid [4]. Khalid [4] also found that the majority of ebook purchases by students were caused by the mandates of teachers.
In regards to book formats used in the United States from 1994 to 2004, some readers preferred print [9]. Liu [5] found that some consumers printed digital articles in order to feel more comfortable when reading them, and Leibowitz [6] noted that sales of printed, or traditional, books rose about 5% in the United States in 2016, while ebook sales fell about 17%. An initiative by the Pew Research Center, called the Internet and American Life Project, showed that although ebooks and numbers of ebook readers had increased, ebooks were not in a position to replace printed books [7], [8]. Later, the Pew Research Center found that among adolescents surveyed in the United States, printed books
(65%) were more popular than ebooks (25%). The study also showed a decrease in ebook use due to the introduction of audiobooks, which were used by one in five people in America [9]; in fact, there was not only a decline in ebook readers but also a decline in ebook sales.
Printed books have remained more popular than ebooks in the Republic of Indonesia as well; Julisar [10] found that digital natives (i.e., people born between 1980 and 2009, when the internet was developed [11]) preferred printed books over ebooks for learning. Santoso, Siswandari, and Sawiji [12] found the same result regarding students in rural areas. However, significant research had not been conducted regarding the reasons digital natives in Indonesia preferred printed books over ebooks This phenomenon creates a problem formulation namely: digital native experience in using printed books rather than e-books.
II. L
ITERATURER
EVIEWOwing to the advances in information and communication technology, there are many innovations in book format, which may impact reading preferences, especially for younger readers who may substitute printed books by electronic books, also known as e-books [13].
According to the Indonesian Language
Dictionary, “preference is defined as a tendency / choice / priority to choose something that is emotionally preferred”. Preference can also be interpreted as an evaluative assessment by making comparisons on other similar objects, so can describe the benefits obtained after making a choice.
Even though those reading printed books are typically referred to as “readers,” as e-books are accessed through electronic media, they are often denoted as “users.” Thus, their use preferences play a role in determining the types of products they will purchase. According to Grimm [14], customer preferences are influenced by attribute perceptions, affective responses and personality
congruence. Affective response reflects consumers' feelings towards the product.
These factors are pertinent to the present study, as they affect book reading behavior, given that e-books may provide a different user experience from that offered by printed books [15].
III. R
ESEARCHM
ETHODThe aim of this qualitative study based on the descriptive phenomenological method was to gain an in-depth understanding of the digital native generation’s reading preferences [16], [17].
The informants for this study were selected by purposive sampling, as the aim was to choose digital natives who actively read books (i.e., typically complete at least one printed book and one e-book per month and understand their content). Based on these inclusion criteria, 26 participants were chosen to take part in a semi-structured interview. Prior to commencing the study, all participants signed the confidentiality
agreement. Moreover, even though each
interview was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, no identifying information was used.
Data processing and data analysis was conducted using the three-tier approach described by Corley and Gioia [18], resulting in (1) First Order Concepts, whereby raw data was transformed into sentences that are easy to understand; (2) Second Order Themes, whereby categories were created by labelling similar concepts; and (3) Aggregate Dimensions, which required grouping the previously generated themes into narrower dimensions. These coding results were interpreted and analyzed based on the findings reported in pertinent literature.
IV. R
ESULTS ANDD
ISCUSSIONThe study sample comprised of 26 informants (22 females and 4 males) aged 18−30 years, with the mean age of 20. With respect to their educational background, fifteen participants were pursuing Bachelor’s or Associate's Degree, nine had a Bachelor’s Degree and were working in formal institutions or as freelancers, and the remaining two had Associate's Degree and were working in government and non-government institutions.
A. Experience of Using Printed Books
From Table 1, we can find out the reader experience data in reading printed books. A total of 12 informants stated that the experience of flipping paper and physically touching the book directly is an experience that cannot be obtained from reading an eBook. Whereas 12 informants also stated that the experience of giving notes or small notes using sticky notes was a pleasant experience when reading printed books. And as many as 8 informants also stated that the aroma that emanated from books both new and old books has its own sensation that cannot be felt when reading books in electronic form. Uniquely, one of the informants also mentioned the experience gained when reading a printed book is that it can be used as social media content if there are quotable sentences or readings.
B. The Constraints in Using Printed Books
From the table, it can be seen that the obstacle of reading printed books that has been mostly experienced by informants is that printed books are difficult to carry anywhere. A total of 14 informants stated that thick and heavy printed books make informants feel uncomfortable when carrying printed books. While 13 other informants stated that the obstacle of reading a printed book is a high risk of damage, if the printed book is not cared for properly then the book will be damaged quickly and if left too long the book will change color to slightly yellowish. In addition, printed book can also be damaged because of food and drinks that the informant often bring when reading a book.
About 38% of informants revealed that a number of printed books were found to be difficult to obtain. A total of 9 informants also stated that the obstacle in reading other printed books is the high price. The informant said that to get a printed book, he or she must set aside daily money for several days in advance because the unit price of an original book is often above IDR 80,000,00. The informant also stated that it was more convenient to buy an original book than a pirated book because buying a pirated book is tantamount to killing the author.
Table 1.
Experiences felt when reading a printed book
First order Second order Aggregate
Can be read multiple times (1) Readable (1)
Experience using printed books The experience of opening a newly
purchased plastic book (3)
Smell its special aroma (10) The sensation when turning the paper (5)
Can create notes in important parts of the book
(12)
Can touch books directly (3) Book as a travel companion (2)
Able to imagine Immersion and escape (2)
Can exchange books with friends
Social Ritual (3) Can lend books
Go to the bookstore
Can be photographed to be used as
social media content Content Social Media (2)
The admiration that arises for the author after reading
Admire the Author (2) Can get an autograph from the
author on the front page of the book
Books can be displayed and added to the collection
home
Ownership and identity (5) Proud of getting a limited-edition
book
Enjoy seeing typography and
compiled content neatly Aesthetics (1)
Comfort when reading books
without obstacles Convenience (1)
The contents of printed book are easy to understand and remember
Easy to understand (5) Reading a printed book feels more
real
First order Second order Aggregate
Big amount of money has been spent to buy a book
Cost (9)
Constraints on Using a Printed Book Have to set aside money to buy a
book
The price is more expensive than an e-book
The access of international books or books / novels in language foreign
Accessibility (1) Sometimes it's not available in the
library, so you have to search on iPusnas.
Availability (10) If the book is sold out, shipping
takes a long time
especially for imported books. Often out of stock: if it's rare, the price will soar.
The bookstore sometimes doesn’t have the stock (hard to find) Must pre order first and the process is rather long
Heavy to carry everywhere Taking up space when going to be taken away
Carrying (14) Less effective if taken while
traveling
Not practical. Taking a lot of places
Taking up a lot of places
Spend space (3) Taking up place while the
bookshelves are full Limited storage for books (constraints room)
some page to be missing When borrowed it is easy to disappear
Paper can be damaged if stored for a long time
Easily worn if frequently bent Vulnerable to wetness, folded, torn Often become dirty, getting splashes of water, coffee, and tea spills
Sometimes paper and print are not good quality
Legibility (2) Sometimes printed book has a too
big or too small font
First order Second order Aggregate
If reading take too long, it makes the eyes feel hot
Discomfort/difficulty reading from the screen (11)
Constraints using the E-Book Electronic media will make the
eyes tired and dizzy
The style of letters is sometimes less suitable to the eye reader Time constraints can only be about 1-2 hours
Money
Cost (2) Sometimes it's not free
Must continue to subscribe, when we don't subscribe then we can't read the book
Restrictive platforms and licenses (1) It’s difficult to read or to
understand because physical form is not on hand
Legibility (2) The writing is irregular
Often get the pdf that is not pleasing to the eye
The device whose specifications can’t support to open the e-book
Cannot add small notes Annotate (1)
Can't collect books for real Ownership (1)
Sometimes the phone's memory is
not enough to save the e-book Capacity (1)
Not all texts are in e-book format
Availability (3) The desired book is not yet
available digitally or not available due to restrictions from party’s provider for certain countries Not all books have a digital edition Reading e-book in an electronic device making the user to be easily distracted (opening social media and so on)
Distracted (6) Many things can disturb your
reading process such as notification
The lack of focus to understand The difficulty in downloading an e-book due to its download
procedure
Complexity (3) Not all media can be used to access
digital books because of information limitations There are many terms and links that must be fulfilled
Connection
Connection (3) Slow internet connection.
Networks that sometimes must be opened via online
Digital devices that I have are not
book, I also have to be careful. C. Obstacles in Using eBooks
From the table above, it can be seen that there are obstacles faced by the reader when reading electronic books, or eBooks. Forty-two percent of informants stated that eBooks were not eye-friendly, meaning that the use of electronic media used to open eBooks could interfere with one’s vision or eyes if used for a long time. The side effects of the use of electronic media vary from tiredness and sore eyes, to dizziness. Informants who have visual impairment in the form of myopia (nearsightedness) feel tired more quickly. Some 8% of informants stated that another major eBook obstacle was the payment for a subscription. One informant stated that the eBook would not be accessible if the subscription period had expired even though the file had already been downloaded. Another payment obstacle is the use of credit cards, with informants not having a credit card feel constrained in this regard. As many as 12% of the informants also stated that they have constraints due to the limitations of electronic facilities owned, such as the problem regarding specifications of a device used on a very slow network. Twenty-four percent of informants are also easily distracted when reading digital books, turning aside to watch videos, check social media and other diversions.
D. Experience in Reading Printed Books
According to Korwitts [19], since eBooks exist and are popular, reading activities can be done easily, especially on the sidelines when someone is traveling. Korwitts [19] also states that the reason someone has an eBook rather than a printed book is because they enjoy the ease of eBook readers and the eBook itself can be easily held and fits in the hand, by only supporting eight ounces of weight. With that weight, the e-book device can store more than 1000 e-book titles on the device.
Different from the results of the research explored above, in Nigeria, Okocha [20] found students to prefer e-books to printed books. Research conducted at the Graduate School of Education (GSE) in New York City, shows that students use e-books more, although printed books with the same titles are available. Although e-books are available with unlimited access, the printed version is still in use by students [21]. It should be noted that the use of e-books and printed e-books, in terms of learning, does not affect the understanding of the contents of a book [22]. However, printed books and e-books have unique attributes and serve different
functions to meet people’s needs that may differ depending on an individual’s demographic and contextual and situational factors [7]. The choice of the form of the book media also depends on the attitude of a person [8]. If a person simply wants to browse or scan or just read for a brief period, books on electronic devices are suitable. However, for deeper reading and understanding of the contents, a printed book is chosen [5].
Some people say that reading an e-book is not like reading a printed book because the sensations when reading a printed book, such as the smell of the book, the weight of a book, the feeling when opening the next page, are missing when they read an e-book. In other words, according to Leibowitz [6], an e-book does not provide the same satisfying visual and tactile sensation that the reader gets while reading a physical book. Printed books create an identity and a visible sense of achievement together with a sense of ownership of goods that e-books will not create [23]. According to Hakkinen et al. [45] reading printed books is indeed tiring to the eyes, but reading e-books for more than 20 minutes is more significant or increasingly tiring to the reader's eyes, that is one of the factors that makes printed books still in great demand.
The selection of printed books in digital native circles is also caused by the many experiences they get when reading printed books that they cannot get when reading e-books. Many experiences related to social (social ritual), such as when reading a printed book can exchange books with friends, can borrow books, and go to a bookstore while looking and choosing books to buy, experiences like giving a distinctive impression in their minds. Just as the results of research conducted by Chen & Granitz [23] show that those who prefer printed books is because they put more emphasis on aspects of experience gained from printed books, such as exchanging printed books are considered as rituals that can add to familiarity, print bookstores and the library is considered a pleasant meeting place. Printed books show a sense of ownership of an item and a person's identity and there are visual experiences such as touch and smell and can add depth to the characters in the book, while those who choose electronic books because they emphasize more aspects of the use value provided by electronic books such as access and convenience to reading, convenient to carry everywhere and save storage space, zooming in or zooming out according to the needs of the reader.
The next experience gained when reading a printed book is emotional attachment. Many digital natives make the emotional attachment experience as the main reason to keep reading printed books, even though e-books provide a lot of ease of access and storage. The emotional attachment experience gained by digital native can be seen in Table 1. Waheed [44] explains that the emotional attachment of an individual towards a printed book (as a product currently used) is considered as a factor influencing the reading process of electronic book readers, which is a barrier for someone in reading a book. This is also reinforced by the results of studies that show that someone does not use e-books because they do not get a sense when holding a book, smell the book, book as self-identity [23], give notes [5], [15], and sharing books with friends as gifts [6].
As we know that digital native are those who are born when the internet is present. According to McCrindle [11], digital native is a generation born in 1995 until 2009. Palfrey & Gasser [24] states that the generation of digital natives is different from the previous generation of digital immigrants. Digital native generation is so familiar with social media [25], they can spend hours in a day when surfing on social media [26]. They can do many things on social media, such as uploading pictures or videos and giving comments to each other [27]. There is an interesting finding from this research, namely reading print books by digital native can be used as material / content for their activities on social media. Digital native photographs the books that are being read, then they upload them on social media accounts.
According to Kouis & Konstantinou [28] e-books can replace printed e-books but not in the near future. It takes a lot of preparation from various parties to be able to maximize the use of e-books. Likewise, according to Kolowich [29] there are some students who easily navigate the e-book interface and the digital tools they use, but there are also some who are still struggling to understand the function of e-book such as creating user accounts, entering access codes, finding pages, make bookmarks, highlighting, and write notes.
E. Obstacles Encountered in Reading Books
From the results of this study, both printed books and e-book costs become one of the obstacles to get both printed book and e-book, especially for students who have a limited budget to buy books [30]. Although e-books are often found free on the internet, they are actually expensive. The results of research conducted by
comparing the prices of printed books and e-books on the same book title result in a conclusion that the price of e-books is much more expensive than printed books [21]. Many choose to spend money to buy printed books rather than e-books. Because after we buy it, the printed book has become our property, while for e-books there are some which are limited by subscriptions, so the price we give is the price for a subscription with a certain amount of time. After the time period expires, we cannot open the e-book.
Legibility is also an obstacle in printed books and e-books. Poor-quality printed books make readability suboptimal. Digital e-books in PDF format may be more difficult to read, and opening the file on different devices may result in irregular writing or visual changes to the text. One thing that is certain is that e-books need tools to read them, and some also require an internet connection to be able to read the text. This connection requirement also becomes an additional obstacle of using e-books. Some people may choose printed books to avoid accessing books requiring internet connectivity [31]. Others may choose to print e-books and then read them on paper [32], to avoid using electronic devices.
Availability is also an obstacle in both book formats. Sometimes printed books are only available in limited printings; if that book has a lot of devotees, readers must wait for production to begin again. Besides the required waiting time, this reprinting will also result in an increase of the book's price. The results of a study conducted by Foasberg [33] explained that due to the limited availability of books in printed form, students increase demands towards the publisher to increase the number of copies. The same also applies to e-books. There are some books that are not available online, or there may be restrictions on a title in certain countries, so accessibility is an obstacle. In addition, there are constraints felt by digital natives when accessing e-books even if they are verfy familiar with digital devices. The obstacles they face when accessing e-books are difficulties in browsing, as there are several steps to download e-books, making it more difficult to obtain them [34]. There are also several printed books in other countries that are difficult to ship to Indonesia. In contrast to the results of this study, Bunkell & Dyas-Correia [35], Kimball, Ives, & Jackson [36] and Taylor [37] stated that e-books are the most accessible source of information and easiest to find from various places.
Printed books and e-books also have a constraint on durability. Printed books are easily damaged if not handled properly. When reading books, readers may often have drinks or snacks that can accidentally spill onto their books, or they can fold paper to mark the end of the page they are reading. Streaks on the book can also cause books to be easily damaged. Durability is also the second obstacle felt by digital natives [34], [38]. The same thing can happen to the hardware used to read books, as many of these e-readers are not waterproof. E-book files can also be affected by viruses, preventing them from being be opened or read.
A printed book is an item that is physically present so that it has mass. A major disadvantage when use a book is having to carry it, especially when traveling so this is one of the reasons they use e-books. Many people prefer to read e-books for company while they are traveling, because carrying a printed book can be awkward [39]. Printed books have mass, which requires space for storage [40], and this is a further obstacle that is felt by the digital native, namely space spend. E-books have similar constraints in that there is a limitation on storage capacity in e-book readers, mobile phones, and hard drives so that some digital natives also feel constraints related to storage capacity.
The use of e-books appears to have additional problems besides those mentioned above, one of which is discomfort when reading from the screen. There are many complaints from digital natives that reading from the screen makes their eyes tired, hot, and causes dizziness. Digital natives can only manage to do read e-book for a maximum of 2 hours, which is different from when they read a printed book. Many studies have revealed that one of the reasons for choosing printed books over e-books, is that they cannot stand reading for long in front of the screen [41].
One interesting element is the distraction felt by the digital native when using e-books. The distraction that they often experience is the notification that appears when reading e-books. Notifications can come from promotions carried out by the website that is the source of the e-book, or it can be from social media that is installed in our e-book reader media such as WhatsApp notifications, Facebook and so on, which ultimately stops them from focusing on reading, in order to open the notification [42]. Many people claim that they have many difficulties focusing on electronic texts and feel frustrated because they cannot interact with e-books
properly, as they are accustomed to interacting with printed books [33], [43].
V.
C
ONCLUSIONFrom the digital native’s experience of using printed books, I have reached the conclusion that printed books have their own uniqueness. The experience of holding a book, from the volume of the book that can be seen in plain view, to the texture of the paper that can be touched directly (each publisher has a different type of paper), to the fragrance of the book that wafts out as each page is opened, none of these can be replaced with digital technology. The digital native is willing to wait and pay more to buy printed books, especially the limited edition. The digital native generation does not deny that they also use e-books for schoolwork, or work, or for other reasons; but e-books will not replace printed books, and vice versa. Both will continue to exist and be used by the next generation because they have different characteristics.
