Digital replica editions versus printed newspapers: Different reading styles? Different recall?

Abstract

This article investigates reading styles and recall of the news from reading digital replicas of printed newspapers on tablets and compares them with the printed version. The study aims to theoretically understand the effects of the medium interface (tablet vs paper) on perceived reading style and recall of information. The experimental study ( N = 90) showed that digital replicas were not perceived to be read in a more fragmented, selective, or elaborate manner than their printed counterparts. On average, readers recalled less from the digital edition than from the printed version, but the differences were small. The study also showed that “digital innovators” recalled the same amount of information from reading the newspaper on tablet as from reading it on paper, unlike less innovative readers: these readers recalled more from reading on paper than from tablet.