Thorburn and Jenkins present an interesting argument. The tendency of people to fear and marvel at change is an age-old sentiment. It was said of Guttenberg’s printing press, the type writer, the radio, and television and, of curse, the Internet. However, despite continuous changes, the medium never eclipses the content.
For example the E-reader, Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook, raised considerable alarm among the publishing world. It was said that a device that could download “books” would replace the printed originals. One could argue that despite its advantage in paying less for books there are several environments were an e-reader would be damaged, like say at the beach, or limited by cellular “dead zones” that render downloads unobtainable. It is here that the printed book serves its purpose
Another example would be the .MP3 sound file. The advent of Apples i Tunes and i Pods made disc players and most stereos obsolete. Yet many still burn their own playlists and even purchase vinyl LP’s for older record players. Once again older technology caters to an individuals needs and preferences.
It remains to be seen from this argument that traditional methods and innovative technology go hand in hand. No matter what form the written word or recorded sound will take, it will always endure.