From Print Culture to Digital Platforms: An Empirical Study on Mobile App-Based Reading and the Transformation of Sri Lankan Publishing Industry

Abstract

This study examines the nature of the change in the Sri Lankan publishing industry from printed materials to reading using mobile phone applications. Quantitative research approach was utilized to collect data from a sample of 200 readers and analyze the same using SPSS software. ISBN registration records of the National Library and Documentation Services Board, Sri Lanka, were also examined. Findings from the analysis revealed that although print books remain dominant (78.5%), younger generations, especially those aged 19-40, increasingly use e-books and print books, with the older reader base being largely resistant to digital platforms. Smart phones come out as the device of choice for digital consumption of reading, with fiction literary genres such as novels and short stories being mass-consumed digitally. Convenience, portability, low price and ready availability were the main enablers of digital adoption, and technical complexity, lack of digital content, low levels of digital literacy and cost sensitivity the main impediments. ISBN data also confirm an increase in registration of e-books during the COVID-19 pandemic. App-based publishing is however viewed mainly as a colorless factor by readers, which bears witness to an attachment to a print culture. The study confirms that Sri Lanka's publishing sector is not a replacement for print media, but rather one where there is an evolving hybrid model of information in digital form reinforcing conventional publishing. It therefore recommends that publishers, policymakers, and technology developers collaborate to drive increased local language content, boost app usage, adopt low-cost pricing models, and bolster digital literacy programs to facilitate a sustainable development of the digital reading habit of the nation.