Books: Will we ever stop using physical books?
By Anne Perry
@eli908640 (37)
October 29, 2025 7:41am CST
I did a quick online search on stats about whether or not we will ever stop using physical books. I was astonished by the answers.
To summarize, it turns out that by 2050, 90%+ of reading will be digital for efficiency.
But the last 10%—driven by nostalgia, craftsmanship, and human stubbornness—will sustain a vibrant physical ecosystem. They are saying, for example, just as horse carriages still exist for weddings, physical books will endure for those who value the artifact over the information.
I can’t believe that physical book reading will devolve into this mere 10% of all reading experiences.
What do you think?
8 people like this
8 responses
@moirai (2951)
• Philippines
6 Dec
Hmm... I sure hope physical books will continue on.
And I don't know if my motivation for wanting it to persist would just be nostalgia. Well, maybe stubbornness, yes. But not just nostalgia.
In my mind, there's some practicality in it, too.
It's so much easier to flip back and forth across pages if you're holding an actual physical book, for example. Scrolling back and forth between two pages, 50 pages apart, would be a nightmare on digital books. 
@Ithink (10106)
• United States
3 Nov
I read everyday, I do own a kindle and I do love that it can hold so many however I still have a lot and I mean a lot of physical books, especially favorites or herbal ones that I can write in and make my own. I hope that this is wrong as there is nothing like holding a book and reading one.
@MarieCoyle (52239)
•
31 Oct
I prefer a real book. Maybe I am old fashioned, but that's my preference.
@RebeccasFarm (91047)
• Arvada, Colorado
29 Oct
Books are wonderful and precious.. I am not sure if people will ever give them up.
