As technology advances and computers get better and better, we lose the need for physical copies of anything. Why carry about a big newspaper or play an album on vinyl when you could do it all with 2 clicks of your cell phone? 

I couldn’t tell you a time when I’ve ever bought a newspaper at a kiosk or picked one up and read it more than a headline on the front page. While I’m the type of person who finds watching the news more informative, I’ve found myself occasionally scrolling through Apple News, looking at headlines, and clicking on articles that interest me. It’s almost too easy to get information nowadays, when we have the entire world in our back pocket. But it doesn’t compare to the feeling of holding a giant newspaper in your hands, hearing the swish of the pages and covering your skin in ink.

In a study done in 2023 by scientists in Slovenia, they studied a comparison of reading comprehension on paper vs online with students 6-18 years old. For more information on how they did the study, as well all the data, you can find it here. They didn’t find any concrete evidence during their study that suggests that students read better on paper compared to online. But, they did find some experimental research that suggested that students reading comprehension is better on paper then digitally.

This research suggests that reading newspapers and physical books has the possibility to help you understand better than you would if reading digitally. That even includes reading on your kindle. And I’m not saying get rid of your kindle. I’m a BIG supporter of having a kindle. I love mine, I read on it every night. But I do love reading physical books more. It’s just the fact that when reading on my Kindle, I don’t have to keep the lights or my glasses on, and that if I want a book I can get it with 3 presses of a button and not have to wait to go to the library (But I do think that Kindles do contribute to the huge problem that is instant gratification in our generation and even more so Gen Alpha. I could write a whole other article on that though so I won’t get into it here).

Physical books and Newspapers go hand in hand (literally), allowing your brain to step away from the screen and focus on what matters, without outside distractions.

The rise in digitally downloading books isn’t just affecting your brain though, its affecting the world. Libraries have been closing en mass due to a lack of usage by communities, cuts in federal funding, and the rise of online books, magazines, and newspapers. Libraries have so many more resources than just books. I encourage everyone to go to their local library and see what they have to offer. For Darien citizens, visit the Darien Library at 1441 Post Road or online here.

Vinyl record sales and CD sales have dropped astronomically since streaming music became popular. I got a record player for Christmas and have been collecting records for the past few months and I’ll tell you that I have become that insufferable person that says “But have you listened to it on vinyl?”

Listening to music on vinyl is scientifically proven to be a more enjoyable experience, as well as better for your brain. Streaming music is stored in an MP3 file. To make the files as small as possible, they are compressed, removing sounds that they believe we cannot hear. However, the stripped down version of the music forces the listener to lose that emotional connection with the song and artist because they aren’t hearing every little detail of the music. You also lose the imperfections like cracks and pops of listening to an album on vinyl (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

When you listen to music on your phone, the audio is broken into tiny little pieces of sound that your brain interprets as one sound. But when you listen to vinyl, its one long sound, which is way easier for your brain to listen to, because the sound is continuous. Its calming to listen to, and it gets you off a screen. Obviously its not possible to carry around a record player everywhere you go, but if you have the opportunity, I definitely recommend getting a record player to play your favorite songs.

While vinyls are making a comeback, they are being sold at nowhere near the levels they were in the 70’s and 80s.

I’m not saying that we need to get rid of technology as a whole, it’s become something that we cant live without, but I do think that we should consider going back to analog for a change. Putting away your screen, doing something with your hands, it’s all known to be better for your brain. We haven’t even had phones long enough for scientists to have enough data to discover what it’s going to do to our brains in the long run. And while physical media is more expensive, it’s not about the price, it’s about the tactile experience that it gives you. If you get the chance, go analog for the day, and remember to support your local libraries and newspapers!