Amazon, Kindle, and Goodreads: implications for literary consumption in the digital age

Abstract

This article examines the complex dynamics of an increasingly digitized reading culture with particular emphasis on changing configurations of ownership and privacy. The analytical point of departure is Amazon, its popular e-reading device Kindle, and Amazon’s connection to the popular social network site for readers, Goodreads. First, the configurations of technologies and practices which make up networked reading culture are described and discussed. Second, the article assesses the implications of digitization on the personal experience of consuming books, where issues relating to ownership, intimacy and privacy are especially relevant.