A study of print and computer based reading to measure and compare rates of comprehension and retention

To the twenty-first century reader the central aspect of Gutenberg’s invention of printing appears deceptively simple. Movable type, small pieces of metal cast from an alloy of lead, tin and antimony, assembled into words and lines created pages that were inked then pressed into velum to create the printed word. This was the beginning of transmitted information, the mass production and distribution of small portable books. This thesis examines the evolution of printing from the Renaissance when “fixity” was achieved to its ascension to the first mass media. The research portion of the study observes, measures and compares the interpretive strategies that readers use when engaging with the printed page and how they adapt new strategies when reading online. Print and online stories from The Guardian, The Economist and The New Yorker were coded and used in the study. The study was conducted at Ryerson University.