I’ve recently received news that Sony has launched their own e-book reader to the public. Second-to-market I thought, until I did some research and within 3 minutes found no less than 12 other such products.

Why would people prefer to read novels, magazines and newspapers on a digital unit like the Amazon Kindle or Sony Digital Reader? Basically, for the same reason people upgrade their mobile phones on their cellular contracts. Because they can. Is it worth it? Hardly ever. Do we do it? Hell yes.

The Amazon Kindle introduced the world to a new way of reading. It allows us to download any book from Amazon in digital format, at a cost of course, and then read it using an electronic unit wherever we go, battery permitting.

When you’re done with reading your latest spy novel, you simply connect to the Amazon store and purchase a new one. No trips to the book store. No waiting for delivery and no shipping costs ever again. It sounds extraordinary. But it’s not.

It’s nothing but a clever marketing ploy in human extortion. Persuading people to purchase things they really do not need and actually have absolutely no use for. But it’s convenient, you may argue. It saves us valuable time. Just about as convenient as your mobile phone, your TiVo, PDA, IPhone Touch, Macbook Pro, Digital Camera, Video Camera and SAT Nav. You see, there are so many “conveniences” these days, that it actually has become an inconvenience, not true? How much time do you actually have in any given day to sit down and spend time with your Kindle?

Because people, the harsh reality is that you will still buy the odd newspaper, visit Exclusive Books while having an Espresso at Seattle, ask people for directions, watch movies with other people created by other people, listen to music on the radio and browse through an actual photo album.

Because that is what living is. Being alive and having time to connect with real people, real things and real emotions. While I am all for technological advances, a part of my being is to try and identify these marketing mockeries that is supposedly engineered to save time, but actually manufactured to extort money.

Yes, people by the hundred thousands are streaming to buy the Kindle and many more will follow suit with the Sony Digital Reader. Just like the Tamagotchi though, people will realise that raising a real pet is more fun than feeding binaries to a digital dog.

Do I want an Amazon Kindle? Oh yes I do. Will I be using it? Probably not.

Just another step into oblivion at understanding the human psyche.