Youthink! asked people on Facebook [1] and Twitter [2] to weigh in on whether they prefer e-readers to books.  See how students are benefiting from  e-readers in Africa [3].

Throughout the conversation people like Mattdan [4] from Indonesia preferred e-readers:“…On the Sustainable development side, they indirectly save forest from the degradation and deforestation.” Jmaguial [4] from Spain also agreed “They reduce paper waste!”And Bethold Mwesy  [1]from Tanzania added: “They are well equipped with up to date information compared to books.”

On the technical side, Prateet Baskota  [1]from Nepal says: “Yes, electronic books are better than books because we do not need to carry heavy book. We can zoom in and zoom out for each sentence. Wherever we are we can carry our IPAD or Phone or laptop and can see and read as we like, we can do direct print from Bluetooth and Wifi. So, I think Electronic Books is BEST. ”

Some people like Manas Panda  [1]from India were concerned: “They are becoming popular but their high cost prevents accessibility.” Jahan Haitch  [1]from Bangladesh added: “You can't demand such source in a country where people still have no minimum wage or any specific working hours.  And about education, we still buy the best books from Nilkhet.” Also, Manas Panda  [1]‎ shared a concern from an existing e-reader project:  “India recently gave tablets named "Akash" meaning "Sky" to school students. The problem is especially in rural areas there's acute shortage of power.”

Others preferred books over e-readers. Sabrina Rivas  [5]from Dominican Republic said: “Nothing can replace books. The majority of e-books are in English and we can only find outdated versions.” Oscar Alberto Quintero Ocampo  [5] from Colombia added: “I don’t think e-readers can replace books. Paper will prevail!”

Join the conversation on Facebook [1].