One of my favorite things is having deep conversations with friends about ideas, events, history, and books. These conversations are thoughtful and meaningful. Lately, though, I’ve noticed that we often mention reading something somewhere, but we’re not sure where, and if we read the whole thing, or just part, or maybe just the headline. And, of course, we don't recall much of the content. Our minds are exploding with virtual fireworks that sparkle and splash, then dissipate and turn into smoke.

We’re digital captives, glued to our screens, soaking in more information than we can digest, retaining far too little.

I’ve always loved to read—books, magazines, newspapers.

As a magazine journalism professor and writer, I have long been an advocate for print media. But digital books and magazines crept into my virtual library, and I gradually became a heretic. I now mostly read digitally. It’s a defensible position in many ways. Print books can get heavy in my old hands, and I can pack a year’s worth of titles on my handy little iPad. If the type is difficult to read, I can easily enlarge it. And I can instantly look up unfamiliar words and check locations on maps. I have four newspapers and three magazines in the same little device. What a wonder.

It's convenient, but I am missing out on the experience of print.

Holding a print magazine or book is a pleasure, a tactile experience that digital content cannot match. Soaking in the cover design, the feel of the paper, the sense of the world in my lap—these create an atmosphere that goes far beyond........

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