Audiobooks are versions of books, that are meant for the ears instead of the eyes. Wait, what? Well, the idea of not reading a book might sound a little less familiar, but familiarity is growing with time. More and more audio versions are being made available. Comparing audiobooks and paperbacks can make us look into the bright and dark sides of both. One is about listening and the other about reading.

Books have traditionally been associated with sitting down in some leisure time and reading your favourite kind of book. Audiobooks appear to be more convenient; since many of us struggle to have the time to develop a consistent reading habit. . Audiobooks, definitely are an innovation, designed to cater for our fast-running routines where we prefer digital media and movies over reading in our free time. This innovation, however, genuinely provokes the question of what is superior and more valued; audiobooks or reading?

Audiobooks for Adults; Accessibility

They are perfectly designed to provide an experience to blind or visually impaired people, ensuring that everyone has access to books.

Audiobooks: Learning Languages

Audiobooks are helpful for those who understand a language but cannot read written text. This utility comes in two ways; they can listen to a book and secondly, they can also learn to read gradually by holding the book in front of them whilst the narrator reads the book aloud.

Audiobooks are also a good tool to help introduce children to different languages. Since children learn to speak from scratch, their learning can be enhanced by listening to audiobooks. While there are numerous ways to teach/learn a language, audiobooks have an edge for communicating the accent and pronunciation very delicately. This also applies to the learning of all languages and accents.

Audiobooks for Children

Audiobooks are a great way of getting children to learn new stories and new skills. Some children do not want to sit down with a book sometimes, audiobooks are a great way introduce new books to them in a different and engaging way.

Audiobooks Vs Reading

It will not be a very good idea to weigh audiobooks and reading against each other. We cannot cancel reading for listening; since both are essential skills. We should take advantage of all technologies. Likewise, we can welcome audiobooks and can take benefit from them. Reading is one remarkable brain exercise, which aligns and sharpens our focus and allows us to look for details. It strengthens insightfulness.

Audiobooks are more fun when it comes to fiction. Since they strengthen the traditional practice of storytelling, audiobooks are a tech-inspired solution for our nostalgia of olden golden times. However, for non-fiction, reading is always a better idea because non-fiction, academic books require more attentive energy. When we read, we can understand more clearly and are more receptive to ideas. We can also use both reading and audiobooks in combination. First, we can read difficult texts and then listen to the same, just to affirm and reinforce our prior knowledge.

Audiobooks are just a more refined, tech-driven version of the old school  stories or the bed-time stories used to amuse children. Now, the difference is that we have audios of a range of books, and not just children’s books. Audiobooks are not a replacement for reading. They are a luxury; something you can have as an addition to your basic survival kit. To say that listening is the new reading, will sound more like a flawed assertion. We should not seek to replace one with another, rather a better idea would be to let audiobooks and reading co-exist.

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