As marketers, we often compare different mediums to one another in order to better understand the art of communication. A primary question on our minds: how does the act of reading words typed on a screen differ from reading those on a physical page? How might such a difference influence the way our brains absorb and process information? Although these questions are not new, they are more relevant than ever as technology provides us with more and more options for media consumption. This issue has prompted more than a hundred studies since as far back as the 1980s, in which researchers have attempted to measure how digital interfaces affect reading comprehension and speed. Across the board, they have found a gap –one that is significantly less pronounced now than it was thirty years ago, but still extant. Current reports reaffirm older ones, asserting that reading on screens is generally a slower, less attentive, and less comprehensive process than reading on paper.
