"My teacher is requiring us to buy a digital book and that makes me feel uncomfortable". Yes, that is becoming a new trend in an effort to undermine students' FUNDAMENTAL right to private property. As more digital resources become available, that little convenience will lead us into a dangerous pit that we won't be able to get out of. What do I mean by that?
Print books allow students to compete on price and allows us to exercise our rights found in the first sale doctrine by re-selling our personal property. You can find a print book online or in a used bookstore for really cheap, like $5 sometimes! That feels good doesn't it?
How good does it feel when your only option is a digital book that requires an internet connection and a continued addiction to 'the screen'? Does it feel any better if the publisher forces you to pay whatever they ask? If your teacher forces it upon you? Does more unnecessary screen time help? It feels about as good as Mitt Romney staring you in the face in a crowded elevator!
But seriously, if you have been a victim of forced digitization, speak out. Let your teacher, bookstore, school, and elected officials know. Your rights are being trampled on. Support print media by using paper books and reselling them when you're done. Support the right to private property and the free market. Thank your local bookstores for offering print media. If we don't, we will wake up one day with a forced digital curriculum where everything costs $299 or as high as they can take it.
