h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yes, I do still use “old media”, but much less than I used to. I used to get one paper every day, but now I read the Times, Telegraph and the Independent online every lunch hour. Sure, I don’t get the whole of the paper read, but I do manage to pick up on some interesting titbits over the course of my browsing. The one day of the week I do get a paper is Sunday, because there is something decadent about sitting in the arm chair reading the paper and the magazines and the bits all included in the paper these days. And then dropping to sleep over it sometime, in the words of DNA, "In the Long Dark Teatime of the Soul"! And the big pages of the Sunday Times are very useful for lining the cat’s litter box as well – sorry, but these practicalities need to be thought about!

I think “old media” will always have a place. Perhaps tapes and CDs will go the way of vinyl, but I will fight until my last breath to keep books. I love books, and have far too many of them at home! There is something delightful about the physical method of reading a book – holding it in your hand, turning the pages, using a bookmark to mark your place - which I just don’t get if I am clicking on an electronic page. And nothing beats the smell of a new book!

I wonder if usage depends on one's age. I probably use far more old media than my offspring. Certainly there's still a place for both.

Reading a book or newspaper is for me more comfortable and easier with a whole page to scan. You can flick from page to page, pick it up or put it down, not worry about power supply or food & drink spills. Adverts seem less of a nuisance on paper compared with websites. I'm also more likely to scan the whole content of a paper (& thus be more widely informed) than reading an online version.

On the other hand, I find it wonderful to have so much information readily available electronically, 24/7.

Well, I am only 35, but I am a nostalgic sort of gal, so that may account for it!

I have actually bought an e-book. I am reading it at the moment. I am quite enjoying the experience...though it is not as much fun as reading a real one would be.