3 ms·

I don't think it will disappear entirely. Just like vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs, some people deliberately choose to buy dead tree media for one reaso

I don't think it will disappear entirely. Just like vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs, some people deliberately choose to buy dead tree media for one reason or another. Maybe print magazines will go first, and maybe print newspapers at some point in the future, but actual books will probably never go away.

HomeDeLaPot 3y ago
Yes. Books might go the same way the horse has gone. No longer dominant, but still occupying niches.
sneak 3y ago
Vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs will also be unused in 100 years. Cassettes and VHS will by then be unreadable, just as most floppies are now. Hell, in 100 years, there won’t even be the mp3 codec anymore. You don’t need to tell me that people deliberately choose dead trees; I am one of them: I collect books and have more than most collectors. Same goes for vinyl. The writing is on the wall, however. In 100 years it won’t be a thing, just as fountain pens and wax seals aren’t today. Yes, they will still exist, and yes, people into whatever type of historical reenactment that is will still have them, but there will be no industry around them like there is now.
- mfragin 3y ago
  Yeah I understand your point, but vinyl is kinda sacred. I mean, of all the things you mentioned, it's by far the most likely to still be usable in the future. Even in a post-apocalyptic world people might figure out how to play vinyl. MP3s? Not a chance. Full disclosure: I never liked cassettes. Oh, and I made the mistake of choosing Beta over VHS....
- rchaud 3y ago
  > Cassettes and VHS will by then be unreadable, just as most floppies are now. And yet, the longevity of a humble cassette tape far exceeds that of the average website. Websites ("digital products" if we must) change, they delete old/offtopic articles for SEO reasons, they change designs to fit in more ads, their owner ship changes hands, the image links break...the list is endless. There are Gizmodo articles from < 10yrs filled with blank blocks with an "image not found" message in them. At least the cassette's changes are due to physical degradation only.

HomeDeLaPot 3y ago

Yes. Books might go the same way the horse has gone. No longer dominant, but still occupying niches.

sneak 3y ago

Vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs will also be unused in 100 years. Cassettes and VHS will by then be unreadable, just as most floppies are now. Hell, in 100 years, there won’t even be the mp3 codec anymore. You don’t need to tell me that people deliberately choose dead trees; I am one of them: I collect books and have more than most collectors. Same goes for vinyl. The writing is on the wall, however. In 100 years it won’t be a thing, just as fountain pens and wax seals aren’t today. Yes, they will still exist, and yes, people into whatever type of historical reenactment that is will still have them, but there will be no industry around them like there is now.

mfragin 3y ago
Yeah I understand your point, but vinyl is kinda sacred. I mean, of all the things you mentioned, it's by far the most likely to still be usable in the future. Even in a post-apocalyptic world people might figure out how to play vinyl. MP3s? Not a chance. Full disclosure: I never liked cassettes. Oh, and I made the mistake of choosing Beta over VHS....
rchaud 3y ago
> Cassettes and VHS will by then be unreadable, just as most floppies are now. And yet, the longevity of a humble cassette tape far exceeds that of the average website. Websites ("digital products" if we must) change, they delete old/offtopic articles for SEO reasons, they change designs to fit in more ads, their owner ship changes hands, the image links break...the list is endless. There are Gizmodo articles from < 10yrs filled with blank blocks with an "image not found" message in them. At least the cassette's changes are due to physical degradation only.