Do E-books Enhance the Reading Experience: An Affordance Theory Perspective

The digitisation of publishing has redefined the publishing industry and the reading experience for consumers. E-readers and smart devices are now part of the value proposition of e-books offering affordances ranging from overcoming the physical limitations of print books to providing the functionality of information systems to the reading experience. A gap exists in understanding the preferences of readers for print books and e-books. Through an affordance theory lens this paper aims to go some way to fill the gap in understand the perception of reading e-books on smart devices as well as advancing the use of affordance theory in information systems research by demonstrating the use of a proposed theoretical model. Using netnography an appropriate sample is identified and thematic analysis is used to identify affordances, positive and negative. The theoretical model is illustrated in the context of e-books and e-readers.