U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland Takes Oath on Kindle Touch, Highlights America’s Digital Shift
The US eBook market is known to be significantly more advanced than that in Europe or Germany. Approximately 30 percent of total book market revenue is generated from eBooks. This shift not only directly impacts publishers and authors but also the broader population, as demonstrated by the newly sworn-in US Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Suzi LeVine is her name, and she took her oath on an eBook reader. A Kindle Touch from Amazon was used for this purpose. It displayed the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which in 1920 granted women the right to vote on the same terms as men. The Vice President of the United States conducted the ceremony.
However, this is not the first time Americans have taken an oath on pixels instead of ink and paper. As reported by the Washington Post, New Jersey firefighters were sworn in on a digital version of the Bible on an iPad in February when no printed version could be found. A US representative did the same in January.
In my view, this clearly represents a cultural shift compared to Europe. While eBooks are now quite widespread and well-known here too, very few people probably see them as a real replacement for traditional books.
What do you think? Is this a natural development that comes with technological progress, or is it an appalling break with tradition?
