Reading a Newspaper vs. Reading Online

Today, I read a newspaper -- that is, actual pieces of paper with words printed on them -- for the first time in many months, if not years. What an interesting experience. It seemed the articles -- tactile and immediate -- held my attention much longer than their on-screen counterparts.

I hypothesize it has something to do with the meaning, roughly speaking, we ascribe to each medium. Newspapers are only newspapers. They are objects designed and created with a singular purpose. Computer screens, on the other hand (or mobile devices, tables, or whatever) deliver information and imagery of all stripes, limited only by the consumer's momentary impulse, whim, or interest. In other words, newspapers are for reading the news; computers are for doing much more than that alone. In contrast to my digital experience, when I sit and do something as relatively basic as read a newspaper or a magazine or a book, my impulses, whims, and temporary pursuits into various tangential avenues seem to recede into the background somewhat.

Of course, that isn't always my experience, and, from what I understand, it isn't necessarily an experience shared by others. Still, it's an experience, and I thought it worth sharing.