The digitization of millions of books and new technology has brought not only convenience but also many issues for everyone that partakes, or uses the technology needed to access these books, commonly referred to as "e-books". The "e" denotes "electronic". Several decades ago, the Internet was used only through a phone line to a house and now can be accessed anywhere or time from nearly every phone used today. As new technologies became more evolved, media and personal habits were taken to another level. Commonly, people now read local or world news on their favorite or subscribed internet news forum or setup email alerts for any particular news topic or location, which sets off an alert on the person's phone. The future outlook for books stores and libraries is not a positive one, nor is there hope for small newspaper companies. .
Reporters Alex Pham and David Sarno for the Los Angeles Times, created a series of writings on evolution of electronic books. Pham and Sarno describe, "If the upheaval in the music industry over the last decade is any guide, the closing of more bookstores and a decreasing demand for physical books will force authors and their publishers to find new ways to profit from their work." The revolution and proliferation of e-books and their readers has become a detriment to society. The intrinsic value of paper books must outweigh the private sector or the public's demand for commercial profit or public convenience. Although there are many pros and cons regarding e-books, paper books not only preserve literacy and therefore must never be made obsolete, but also safeguard the foundations of education. .
The convenience of electronic reading has become to the average reader, causing people to lose sight of the actual need for thorough reading and comprehension. It has become much easier for people of all ages to simply skim over a news article or read a quick book summary online.