Electronic Books--More Cons than Pros.

• Position: Brief Article

Electronic books could revolutionize reading, but people ought to consider their far-reaching impacts as well. "The e-book promises to wreak a slow havoc on life as we know it," Jason Ohler, professor of technology assessment, University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, warned the World Future Society, Bethesda, Md. His assessment weighed the pros and cons of e-book technology's impact on social relationships, the environment, the economy, etc. Before you curl up with an e-book, consider the disadvantages.

They increase eyestrain due to poor screen resolution, replace a relatively cheap commodity with a more expensive one, and displace workers in print book production and traditional publishing. E-books make it easy to share data, thereby threatening copyright agreements and reducing compensation of authors, as well as...