Of the many different advancements of communication technology, one of the popular ones is the e-book. While there are still print books available for the users that prefer those, e-books offer users the ability to read the same content included in print books through a digital pdf file. Like other technologies, the e-book operates within the communication technology ecosystem through its users, software, content, hardware, and organizational infrastructure. (Grant and Meadows, 2014) The users of the e-books consist of the many individuals that use the technology for personal, professional, and/or for educational purposes. Software programs such as Google Play and online stores such as Amazon.com provide a large volume of e-books for users to choose from. Other software programs, such as the cloud, allow users to store and share tons of uploaded e-books as well. (Musil, 2013) This
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The fact that users must have access to and the knowledge of how to use and operate computers, an e-reader, a smartphone, or a tablet in order to use this technology poses a limiting factor to the e-book technology ecosystem. On the other hand, print books do not require those hardware devices to read them. Another drawback to the e-book technology is the issue of digital rights management locks. (Grant and Meadows, 2014) These locks were once meant to prevent illegal file sharing, but they now limit the users’ access to the uploaded e-books if they decide to purchase a different device from the one they uploaded the files on originally. Not having access to a physical copy of the book is yet another drawback with this technology. Some users prefer the convenience of e-book uploads, while others may still prefer to have a physical copy on hand. For instance, a student may prefer print textbooks over e-books for taking notes and highlighting important topics that he or she will be tested on
The fact that users must have access to and the knowledge of how to use and operate computers, an e-reader, a smartphone, or a tablet in order to use this technology poses a limiting factor to the e-book technology ecosystem. On the other hand, print books do not require those hardware devices to read them. Another drawback to the e-book technology is the issue of digital rights management locks. (Grant and Meadows, 2014) These locks were once meant to prevent illegal file sharing, but they now limit the users’ access to the uploaded e-books if they decide to purchase a different device from the one they uploaded the files on originally. Not having access to a physical copy of the book is yet another drawback with this technology. Some users prefer the convenience of e-book uploads, while others may still prefer to have a physical copy on hand. For instance, a student may prefer print textbooks over e-books for taking notes and highlighting important topics that he or she will be tested on