Which is better Internet or Books

If you mean for information/research I would say the Internet is the better option. You can read different sets of opinions and research notes without having to carry heavy books around and you can compare very easily by opening more browser windows. The one problem with researching on the net is Wiki. I never trust what it says without verifying from a different source.

If you mean for reading pleasure then I go for books every time. I can't read my computer in bed.

Reply #1. Nov 19 10, 11:42 PM

nycdmc70

I have to agree with rmg's post. Internet is definitely better for research, also at least for me anyway, playing games, meeting people from all over the world, shopping is another big one for me. It's funny all the wonderful things that can be done via the internet, all the technology and information and I sit here thinking how nice it is to not have to wait on ridiculous lines at the mall, especially at this time of year. As far as books though, you can't beat them. My husband just bought an E-Reader, and they're great for travelling and just a nifty little gadget, but there's nothing like curling up on a comfy sofa, with a warm blanket and a good book.

Reply #2. Nov 20 10, 12:12 AM

Anton

The internet has no paper cuts. Zing!

Reply #3. Nov 20 10, 12:14 AM

Lochalsh

I don't trust the internet for research unless the website presents thorough documentation of its sources and a full description of the author's background in and experience with the subject at hand, as well as evidence that the article has been peer-reviewed. Anybody can write anything, after all. Internet research can serve as a springboard for ideas, but not as the last word on a topic.

Reply #4. Nov 20 10, 12:28 AM

Lochalsh

In other words, books still have their place as over against the internet. For one thing, their content doesn't disappear overnight, as a website can, and they come about only after some considerable effort in writing and in marketing.

I enjoy the internet, I just take anything I read on it with a grain of salt (please pass the margarita).

Reply #5. Nov 20 10, 12:51 AM

callie_ross

Books, of course! Sure, the internet is nice to have & you can look up anything you want to, but is it truth or lies? Like Lochalsh said, you can't trust it! Books don't lie!

Reply #6. Nov 20 10, 1:25 AM

tezza1551

The planet survived a long time without the internet. It could survive without it again. Books don't require electricity to operate. Yes, the internet is a wonderful convenience, but if necessary, mankind could do without it.

Reply #7. Nov 20 10, 4:56 AM

lesley153

"... Wiki. I never trust what it says without verifying from a different source."
But you always start with it, don't you!

*passes lime wedge to Lochalsh*

Reply #8. Nov 20 10, 6:51 AM

Lochalsh

Callie: Books don't lie!

Well, they do--think of "unauthorized" biographies of famous people and wonder whether they're made up or not--but, at least, the evidence is there and can't be taken down in a flash.

*curtsies* a thank you to Lesley, the quintessential hostess

Reply #9. Nov 20 10, 8:35 AM

honeybee4

Usually I would say books but my eyesight has got worse since surgery on them This makes it a chore to read even though it was my favorite pastime. I love the internet, but I found my Honeybee4 name on a dating service. Not me.

Reply #10. Nov 20 10, 11:25 AM

Anton

"Well, they do--think of "unauthorized" biographies of famous people and wonder whether they're made up or not"

Those aren't the only books that lie. Take history books for example. Who writes history? The winners. A lot of the "facts" in them are slanted in favor of the winners.

Reply #11. Nov 20 10, 11:44 AM

Lochalsh

Anton, I used the biography just as an example, of course.

History is a story, and is told to reach particular aims. It's seldom pure reportage.

Reply #12. Nov 20 10, 3:07 PM

mjws1968

Books are much better than the internet, especially when most people seldom get past the often unreliable and frequently totally wrong Wikipedia, but all source material, written or onscreen has to be taken with a pinch of salt, any non-fiction book is somebody's opinion of events, and as long as you know in which way it is biassed you can get a lot from it (take Von Danniken's "Chariots of the Gods", which is more science fiction than science fact, the man was criminally insane, but there are kernels of truth and lucidity hidden within the ramblings of the alleged madman). First hand sources are of course slightly more reliable, but if I am researching a subject or essay, I use at least two written and two internet sources and make my own mind up by searching for the common ground amongst all four.

Reply #13. Nov 21 10, 8:34 AM

reeshy

Even scientific textbooks can be wrong (though it's not as if they "lied" intentionally :P)! So in fact, there has to be a bit of wariness with books too in this context, i.e. checking for as late an edition of a textbook as you can, and cross-checking it over a few sources if it doesn't seem right.

As most have said, there are advantages over both. If I'm checking a tiny fact, I'd rather not have to look through a book for it, when typing it in Google should provide adequate and accurate results (depends on what you're searching!). For writing reports here in uni, the internet is inavluable in accessing journal literature - yes, it can be done with paper copies, but much easier with an online source. In this case of course, you know it's genuine.

For reading for leisure, the internet is useful, but there's nothing like having the physical paperback in your hand (partly why I don't see the appeal of a Kindle!), but the internet is useful too - a friend sent me a couple of eBooks recently, and with her being in the US, and me in the UK, swapping a physical copy would have simply been unfeasible!

Reply #14. Nov 22 10, 4:33 AM

daver852

The definitive answer to this question is: it depends.

Reply #15. Dec 02 10, 3:25 PM

blindcat78

I agree that both are important because books can teach you something & take you off to wonderful places & the Internet can give you information that you can't get in books, keeping up with love ones & making friends from around the world. If it wasn't for the Internet, I wouldn't have found this wonderful site!

Reply #16. Dec 02 10, 4:33 PM

schuhmacher

I like the internet because it has seemingly endless information at my disposal. However, I find that I retain information much better if I read it out of a book, I don't know why.

Reply #17. Dec 04 10, 1:30 AM

Manjari97

Books surely.....internet is more useful for searching information....internet can stop working but books will always be there for us!

Reply #18. Feb 25 11, 7:40 AM

purelyqing

For me the internet is more useful. I have to research a lot of information for my assignments. Sometimes textbooks are already outdated by the time they are published. Hence it is better to get material directly from scientific journals, the more recent the better. I usually download the journal articles from the internet.

Reply #19. Mar 26 11, 8:39 AM

MotherGoose

Books - because you can't take the internet into the bathtub with you. [Well, I suppose you could but it would be both awkward and dangerous].

Reply #20. Mar 29 11, 12:13 PM

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