{"id":9826,"date":"2021-02-13T15:20:36","date_gmt":"2021-02-13T15:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/?p=9826"},"modified":"2022-09-08T14:31:40","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T14:31:40","slug":"audiobooks-vs-books-is-listening-the-new-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/audiobooks-vs-books-is-listening-the-new-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"Audiobooks Vs Books: Is Listening the New Reading?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<div id=\"db-audiobooks-vs-books-is-listening-the-new-reading\" class=\"db-header-image\"><\/div>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" id=\"db-script-audiobooks-vs-books-is-listening-the-new-reading\">\r\n    var el = document.getElementById('db-audiobooks-vs-books-is-listening-the-new-reading');\r\n\tvar script = document.getElementById('db-script-audiobooks-vs-books-is-listening-the-new-reading');\r\n\r\n    if (document.body.classList.contains('single-post')) {\r\n        el.innerHTML = '<ins class=\"adsbygoogle db-banner-ad\" style=\"display:block;border:none;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0553395522680398\" data-ad-slot=\"2983428166\" data-ad-format=\"horizontal\" data-full-width-responsive=\"false\"><\/ins>';\r\n\r\n       \t(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n    } else {\r\n        el.innerHTML = '<a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/audiobooks-vs-books-is-listening-the-new-reading\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2128 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/headphone-banner.jpg\" alt=\"Is reading the new listening\" width=\"473\" height=\"112\" \/><\/a>';\r\n    }\r\n\t\r\n\t\/\/ el.parentNode.removeChild(el.previousSibling); \/\/ Remove <p><\/p>\r\n\tscript.parentNode.removeChild(script); \/\/ Remove this <script>\r\n<\/script>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>As a concept, the audiobook is certainly not a new one, with the earliest vinyl-record versions being made as early as 1932 by the American Foundation for the Blind. However, advancements in digital technology over the last 20 years have allowed us to store enormous amounts of data in the hand-held devices that have become so ubiquitous in the modern world, which raises the question is listening the new reading?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>This new ability to store and access information on the move had given <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/the-rise-of-the-audio-book\/\">rise to a surge in audiobook popularity<\/a>, with as many as <a href=\"https:\/\/goodereader.com\/blog\/audiobooks\/audiobook-trends-and-statistics-for-2020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">46,000 new titles hitting the market each year<\/a>. There\u2019s no doubt that it\u2019s a medium that\u2019s here to stay.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The benefits of audiobooks are many, but some see it as cheating. Is that fair? Perhaps not, as you\u2019ll find by reading on as we examine the question \u201cIs Listening the New Reading?\u201d. There\u2019s nothing quite the smell you get when opening a new paperback, so how do audiobooks compare? Let\u2019s dig in and find out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do Audiobooks Count as Reading?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/audiobook\/7e00728ef1d346b497970b7541b64675\/Tale%20of%20Two%20Cities\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1989 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/A_tale_of_two-cities.jpg\" alt=\"Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens\" width=\"170\" height=\"260\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 170px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 170\/260;\" \/><\/a>\r\n<figcaption>free audiobook &#8211; digital book.io<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Our answer to this question couldn\u2019t be more emphatic, as listening to an audiobook shouldn\u2019t be sneered at by the book-reading pseudo nobility. Not everyone engages with the world in the same way and audiobooks simply represent another medium on which to enjoy literature in all of its forms and varieties.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Does it offer a\u00a0 different experience &#8211; sure it does, but that doesn\u2019t make it a lesser form? In fact, in many cases, audiobooks allow some of the literary greats to be enjoyed by people who might otherwise not be able to. Whether talking about visual impairment or a shortage of time, there are many reasons why a person may never get around to reading a book like <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/free-audiobook.html#!\/7e00728ef1d346b497970b7541b64675\/Tale%20of%20Two%20Cities\">A Tale of Two Cities<\/a><\/em> cover to cover.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>But what about books that educate us?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do We Learn Better by Reading or Listening?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"256\" height=\"132\" class=\"wp-image-9866 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/eye.jpg\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 256px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 256\/132;\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>When we want to learn about something, we might wonder whether it\u2019s best done via audiobook or by the written word. Well, around 65% of people are visual learners, meaning that they are likely to learn better when they\u2019re reading from a book. So, for them, it may well be that reading is better.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"256\" height=\"200\" class=\"wp-image-9875 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/headphone_icon.jpg\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 256px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 256\/200;\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>However, of the remaining 35%, 30% are auditory learners, meaning that they\u2019ll take more on board by listening to an audiobook &#8211; and that\u2019s an awful lot of people! The remaining 5% is made up of Kinesthetic learners who learn best by being \u2018hands-on\u2019 and doing the thing they\u2019re learning.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Do we learn better by reading or listening? That really depends on what group you fall into.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 23px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player lazyload\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j2l0FRUcv54?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Advantages that Audiobooks Offer<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>It\u2019s important to say that the popularity of books in audio form doesn\u2019t necessarily have to come at the expense of the book-reading world. Nothing could really ever replace traditional books, but relative newcomers like audiobooks offer something new, something different.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Despite their detractors, the benefits of audiobooks are many and they extend far beyond convenience, allowing an immersive experience with little or no effort from the listener.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5 Audiobook benefits include:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>More relaxed eyes <\/strong>&#8211; There\u2019s no getting around the fact that listening to an audiobook is easier on the eyes, especially when talking about books read on Kindle-type devices. On average, most of us spend around 7 hours a day in front of screens, which is a lot of blue light that can result in disrupted sleep, eye strain, headaches and more.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>An ability to multitask<\/strong> &#8211; Unlike reading, listening can be done whilst engaged in other activities, like housework or exercising. People who might not have the luxury of a spare afternoon to get into a good book can enjoy all kinds of engaging literature whilst doing other things.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Bringing stories to life<\/strong> &#8211; There\u2019s no mistaking that reading a good book allows your imagination to bring the story to life, but so can audiobooks. What\u2019s more, they allow you to listen to the classics read by your favourite actor &#8211; like Benedict Cumberbatch reading <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/audiobook\/5eaf101d83b40e4c9f342642276b141a\/The%20Hound%20of%20the%20Baskervilles\">The Hound of the Baskervilles<\/a><\/em> and some titles feature multiple voices that really offer a 3 dimensional quality to the tale being told.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Improved Literacy Skills<\/strong> &#8211; A study has shown that audiobooks are extremely useful for anyone with learning difficulties and for people learning English as a second language. Continued use of auditory content of this kind is said to help improve reading ability and literacy skills and allow fluency that much sooner.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Building listening skills in children<\/strong> &#8211; It\u2019s also known that when young people listen to audiobooks, they help to build vocabulary, literacy, fluency and overall language acquisition. Reading does this too, but not as effectively during a child\u2019s earliest years.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"256\" height=\"217\" class=\"wp-image-9837 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/book_brain_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 256px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 256\/217;\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The benefits of audiobooks are numerous and all this comes with no discernable difference in what you gain from the process. Information published in the Journal of Neuroscience has shown that audiobooks offer the same mental stimulation as reading for yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>After analysing brain scans of people reading and comparing them against those of others enjoying audiobooks, researchers found that the same areas lit up, regardless of what medium was being used. Official evidence is that audiobooks are just as stimulating as their paper-based counterparts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Try Out an Audiobook Today &amp; See For Yourself!<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>So, there you have it &#8211; conclusive proof that audiobooks represent a medium that\u2019s very much comparable with traditional books. Is listening the new reading? We prefer to think of it simply as a different way to engage with literature. Rather than being a competitor to the written word, audiobooks should be seen for what they are &#8211; an enjoyable alternative that adds to what literature offers, as it makes it even more accessible to the masses than ever before.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/audiobook\/d2197c647977eb5eb84a87f6495f8a3c\/Jane%20Eyre\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9889 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Jane_Eyre.jpg\" alt=\"Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bront\u00eb\" width=\"172\" height=\"281\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 172px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 172\/281;\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/audiobook\/e000f4eef4695c483f2664b573e7538b\/Turn%20of%20the%20Screw\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9907 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/turn_of_screw_cover.jpg\" alt=\"Turn of the Screw by Henry James\" width=\"184\" height=\"283\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 184px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 184\/283;\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized is-style-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/audiobook\/7b2fba0ee5a3c52f89e2621490b0aa55\/Legend%20of%20Sleepy%20Hollow%20(Version%202)\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9898 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sleepy_hollow_cover.jpg\" alt=\"Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving\" width=\"178\" height=\"283\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 178px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 178\/283;\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The benefits of audiobooks are there for all to see, so if you haven\u2019t yet tried one out for yourself, why not do so today and see what all the fuss is about? There is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\">wide selection available on our website<\/a> that can be enjoyed for free and you can be listening to one within just a few seconds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a concept, the audiobook is certainly not a new one, with the earliest vinyl-record versions being made as early as 1932 by the American Foundation for the Blind. However, advancements in digital technology over the last 20 years have allowed us to store enormous amounts of data in the hand-held devices that have become [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9962,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[5,7,6,1414,971,1458],"class_list":["post-9826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audio-books","tag-audiobooks","tag-digitalbook","tag-ebooks","tag-free-audiobooks","tag-free-ebooks","tag-is-listening-the-new-reading"],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":9826},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/listening-feature.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8z1cT-2yu","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9826"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50515,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9826\/revisions\/50515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalbook.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}