THE FUTURE LIBRARY

?THE FUTURE LIBRARY

If you have a smartphone probably you are a frequent visitor of social media and chances are you might have encountered ad pop ups on reading apps. "What are these reading apps?" You may ask, assuming you do not like social media. They are the most popular and trending apps that allow you to download any book of your choice and read them on your phone. In the recent years there've been a surge in online reading apps or web fiction, as referred to by other countries. As the name suggest these works of literature can be found only on the internet.

The introduction of web fiction has captivated the young audience such as high school graduates and those in the university. Basically these apps provide readers with an opportunity to read online on any material they may like, they also have an option for various categories and genres.

The apps differ from one another. There are those that offer free access to any book and require less data to download, therefore no one really feels the pinch. Other apps use their platforms to promote the upcoming authors and their works of literature. They avail a few chapters for free and then require the reader to buy coins, stones, pearls etc. to be able to unlock the rest of the chapters.? Depending on the app, one can get ten or so chapters for free then to have access to the other chapters, the reader will need to unlock using any method provided by the app. In case a reader doesn't have money or simply doesn't want to spend money on the coins then there are other available options that will allow them to access? the chapters. Some of the options are giving gifts which are equivalent to a certain amount of coins to a reader. A reader who maintains a specified streak also rewarded. Another method is giving out coupons that also contain coins to unlock chapters. Moreover, the apps reward a reader depending on the time spent reading a book for instance if one reads for fifteen, thirty, sixty minutes then a certain numbers of coins is awarded and so on. Apart from buying coins and redeeming coupons there are other apps which give an option of watching a video to unlock chapters. All these methods of unlocking chapters usually have one goal in the end and that is to provide income for the authors for example Wattpad has a Paid Stories program that makes it possible for writers to earn money for their work. The apps have provided immense opportunities for the writers as some are lucky to get their books turned into movies for example the Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles who started out on Wattpad.

Online reading apps have played a big role in instilling a reading culture among Kenyans. It has also contributed in enhancing a behavior that is of great concern, phone addiction. The more you want to read and win those coins or reach a personal target the more you stay glued to a phone making it easy for you to become an addict. However, the pros of these mobile reading apps outweigh the cons. All in all the reading culture among the youth has greatly improved and this can be greatly attributed to the revolution in technology which has led to invention of mobile phones, computers and such apps. This invention can be said to be pioneer of a positive reading culture. The online reading apps have provided a turnaround for book lovers and the anti-readers.?

This is evidenced by the millions of apps downloaded on the Apple Store for iPhone users and PlayStore for Android users. Some of these online reading apps are Amazon Kindle, Light Reader, Webnovel, Kongfubooks, Anybooks, Wattpad, Bravonovel, Novel Cat, Radish Fiction, Fox Novel among others. These apps have at the same time received ratings that are as high as four stars and many reviews on different social media platforms. The question that begs, are online reading apps the future library?

Written by Peris Wanjiru Mungai

A Journalism student at the University of Nairobi

Email: [email protected]