Book and Reading in the Digital Age: lights and Shadows

Abstract

This essay explores the transformations of books and reading practices in the digital age, offering a critical reflection on the impact of these changes on education and cognitive processes. After a brief overview of the historical evolution of the book as a cultural object and of libraries as custodians of collective memory and knowledge access, the focus shifts to the present, characterized by the increasing dematerialization of knowledge. Global and digital access to information profoundly alters how we read, write, and learn, posing new challenges for educators and pedagogues. In particular, the essay examines growing difficulties in reading and writing education, with special attention to specific learning disorders such as dyslexia and dysgraphia, which are becoming more visible in hyper-digital environments. The work encourages a move beyond nostalgic or technophobic views by opening a critical reflection on the potential offered by digital reading. Far from being a mere technological shift, this transformation invites us to reconsider the relationship between reading, attention, memory, and critical thinking. The aim is to stimulate debate on how pedagogy can accompany and guide these changes, fostering a conscious, accessible, and inclusive reading education that meets today’s challenges while preserving the richness of our cultural and bibliographic heritage.