Study: Digital reading gains popularity

Khaleej Times Online reports.

Slightly more than a fifth of US adults reported having used an e-book during the past year, their ranks swollen by the popularity of Kindles, Nooks, iPads and other gadgets during the year-end holiday gifting season.

According to Sky News, the 68-page report, “The Rise of E-Reading”, is among the most comprehensive takes on the ever-changing book market.

It's also the first of a series about e-books planned by the Pew Research Centre's Internet and American Life Project, which received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

When it comes to other "long-form material", including magazine pieces, 43% of Americans ages 16 and older are reading digital text, and many say they are reading more because books and articles are available in a digital format, MSN Technolog says.

"Every institution connected to the creation of knowledge and storytelling is experiencing a revolution in the way information is packaged and disseminated," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet Project, and one of the authors of the study.