Digital text is nothing new, but the way of using digital text has still not come very far. Sure we have hyperlinks - But hyperlinks still only belong to the internet. They have little place in our prose and work- documents. I believe this will change. Why shouldn't it?
As e- readers and tablets become the normal medium for books and prose, I expect a revolution in the genre. It will evolve. Just as it came naturally to computer games to utilize 2d art, 3d art, music and more, books will expand in the digital medium to integrate music, 2d, 3d and more. This application of the mainly written medium will change our view of what a book is. And eventually society will rewrite our expectations for when we open... excuse me start a book.
What things will change?
The Structure
For now books have only length. But as a digital format books will have depth. An equvalent today is the footnote, which naturally expands on the text above. The book of the future will hide the footnote in a hyperlink- style referent, which we may follow, either to another layer of the book, or perhaps straight to the net.
The most extreme version of this vision has us reading books like they were written by Christopher Nolans "Inception". With layer changes marking the levels. But I believe in the meek beginnings older books, like "The Phantom of the Opera" will be linked up to the music it refers to, to articles and pictures of the theater the action takes part in, and perhaps references to happenings in the authors life that may have influenced a particular scene.
Already students collaborate on making study- notes for popular works. But I look forward to these being more integrated into the experience. I can't wait!
The artistic cooperation
Any of the other things you do on a computer can happen within the book. Normally we don't want calculators in our books. But how about some suiting music for your text. For those in the habit of running their finger along the line as they are reading, strategically placed lightning bolts may accompany Dr. Frankenstein in the creation of his monster. The the demntors attack Harry Potter on the way to Hogwarts, the book can play Harry Gregson Williams "The dementors converge" in tbe background.
How about the posibility of drawing while you read? Artists from all over the world could let themselves inspire, and instantly share their internal visions with other readers.
When I write about these things I say; look to the videogame industry. The videogame industry thrives on innovation, which is often the key selling point of a game. Beta testers of LittleBigPlanet 2 have already demonstrated the power of a good and simple music creation tool. How about getting a standardised version of that for a book?
Don't worry, you'll be okay.
Those are Trond Viggo Torgersens magical words. Only he used it when talking to his patients. You world isn't going to come crashing down around you. Things will change. That's all.
Update:
Mere hours after I had posted this text IDEO shared a video of their interpetation of future books. As it happens, they focused on entierly different things than me. Some of these ideas are exiting, some of them I find unlikely. But why not see and judge for yourself!
The Future of the Book. from IDEO on Vimeo.
