After all, I write them. But that does not mean that books are the best possible way to present information. Just because it seems like books have always been here does not mean they always will be. To many people, just the idea that the book may soon disappear is so frightening that it's difficult to discuss the subject rationally. Perhaps one way of putting this in perspective is to consider a question from last year's qualifying examination at our institute.
Technology tends to influence art in serious ways.
And art influences story telling. If you wanted to tell a story in some way other than simply by talking, then painting a picture, or carving a stele there were limited options available 2000 years ago. After the invention of the printing press, a new art form developed, although it took a few years, namely, the novel. This was an art form for story telling influenced by the new technology of the book. Similarly, movies became a new way of telling stories when film technology was created.