Internet can emulate books (eBooks). eBook vs paper Book is the same concept but presented in different form. Although eBooks have certain advantages like faster browsing (thanks to implemented search function). But internet or using search engine to find data, process it and analyze it, is superior to reading books. Reading books is healthier for your eyes (if you use backlit screen) and feels more natural. But books take a lot of space.
Well, the difference is: On the internet, there is so much shit you would not believe it.In the depths of this moloch there are things that are not meant for human eyes, srsly, this shit psycho.
Also, much of the information on the internet is simply wrong.
Iam not saying there are no books with false information - indeed, there are a lot.But compared to shit on the internet, it´s nothing.If you buy a popular book regarding a specific topic, it will most likely be scientifically profound.
If you have a book that treats a certain topic, it does just that; It is bundled information on paper.
On the internet, you have to search through lots of shit to find what you want; And if you find it, it is, very often, not complete; Indeed, today many websites are only extracts from books.
The Internet is a very quick way to gather some rather superficial information about topics; You can become semi-knowing in a subject within a few hours if you want - which is a very good thing, really.The problem is, to become EXPERT, you will need more.There is a reason books are still used in schools and universitys, you know.
Also, it is still not entirely clear how the shift from autodidactical book-learning to the massive, compressed information feeding from the internet will affect future generations; It might be bad, but it might also be good.
In it´s current state, only a symbiosis of books and the internet brings real knowledge.The Internet, with it´s all-time contemporarity and the books with very specific and bundled knowledge.
We can speak again in a 100 years or maybe earlier - when every book on earth is freely and easily accessible in any language round the clock on the internet, and EVERY technological device is synched - including eBook readers and the like.