I Don't Want to Be Paperless

Let me start by saying that I find modern technology indispensable in my daily life. My Outlook Calendar keeps me on top of my academic responsibilities far better than a paper planner could, so I am not entirely against digital options when useful.

However, I find that in many cases, paper still triumphs over pixels. I have quite possibly tried every to-do list app available for free and have not found a single one that actually makes me more productive. When I write down my tasks on a piece of paper, however, I actively work towards crossing out every task. Because I use both Outlook calendar and paper to manage my tasks, I can utilize digital technology as a means of enhancing paper, not replacing it. This gives me the benefits of both while minimizing the drawbacks of each.

As an English major, I have to include physical books versus e-books in this article. E-book readers such as Kindles and Nooks are convenient and offer a nice alternative to traditional screens with their e-ink models, but they cannot replace the tactile experience of reading a book. More importantly, studies have shown that readers of physical books retain more information than readers of e-books, meaning that, despite the inconvenience of carrying them, physical books might have greater functionality than their e-book counterparts.

I personally find that this extends to other forms of text, such as magazines. I recently obtained an issue of the punk magazine Razorcake and have been surprised at how different the experience of reading from a physical magazine is. Instead of clicking on an interesting headline and quickly skimming articles and reviews as I do on a computer, I have been reading the columns in-depth and indiscriminately, giving me an in-depth reading experience that I struggle to achieve with digital media.

Many people treat paper like it is obsolete, choosing to do everything on computers. A paperless society may seem like a good idea, as paper takes up space, can be misplaced easily and is often discarded shortly after it is used.

While it is true that paper often ends up crumpled in the bottom of someone’s wastebasket—or next to it if you have a bad aim like me—electronic waste is rapidly becoming a severe problem. If you must choose an electronic device over paper, be sure that it does not end up crumpled in the bottom of a landfill when the next shiny model is released.