These statements are mailed to the individual every month. Of course, it is assumed that the individual can at least maintain his records marginally well. And he should keep copies of the statements in a safe deposit box. If the stock splits, the individual doesn't have to go through the trouble of returning the old certificates and having new ones issued. Communications from the company such as proxy notices, annual reports, meetings, etc. are passed on to you by the brokerage firm.
Many individuals have a tendency to lose or misplace stock certificates.
This isn't the case if they are held electronically by the brokerage firm. As some people move around in life, they may tend to forget about a brokerage account and it becomes inactive. It takes a little trust on the part of the individual that the brokerage firm isn't going to have a complete and total electronic meltdown which erases all records. People who trade options, buy U.S. Treasury instruments, municipal bonds, etc. are already used to this form of account maintenance. None of these securities is issued in any other form other than electronic with statements mailed to the individuals.