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Pen & paper or tablet which is better?- The never ending debate

Updated: Jul 4, 2021

There's always confusion nowadays among common people regarding the aspect of selecting a tool or a medium to perform a certain task. And the decision-making confusion on choosing whether to use a pen or digital platform remains one of the top ongoing debates in a person's mind. The never-ending argument on which is better to use the normal and conventional ways of the pen and paper or use the modernized technological solutions such as tablets, smartphones, or computers. It cannot be distinguished that one is better than the other as we are not able to put all the advantages and disadvantages in a weight balance and sort out the one which weighs more or less.

However, it can be said that both of these aspects have their own disadvantages and advantages of being used. You will always use pen and paper writing to take up notes quickly in the case of emergencies one of the main reasons is that it is easy to handle and in most cases, it's readily available. Although you will never use a pen and paper to draft an essay or an article in this digital era, it can be effectively done by electronic writing or typing.


Taking notes on your smartphones has been seen to be a trend among youngsters as well as old-aged people as they will readily have a smartphone handy rather than writing on a piece of paper. In the olden days and today also a certain percentage of people depend on a piece of paper where they will write down the grocery and vegetable items to be brought while visiting the stores. This may seem an irrelevant task in this era of smartphones but it's more convenient than you think. Just remember your college days where you will show up with nothing in hand, just your smartphones, take up the photo of the blackboard, or from one of the toppers or a rank holder's books who will note down the lecture. There the smartphones were handy in your college days but for classes, in your school days you never had a smartphone and you usually get bored and will be playing certain pen and paper games for two or for a group such as Xs &0s, bingo and many more.


One of the most important pen and paper quotes is by Martin Luther King - “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write”. It's a never-ending argument when the topic arises for debate. Although the world has been modernized into a digital form of operations the schools and educational curriculum across the world have not been modified. Now also the conventional methods of teaching and taking up notes in the paper are still being followed. So why is that? In a world where we can achieve much with just a touch or a click of a button, why do we burden our children with the aspect of writing in pen and paper?


This blog will provide insight on the question and will try to balance the argument on which is better: computer-based typing or pen and paper writing.


Memory retention


Writing with pen and paper and taking notes on them is associated with more memory power, as it can help us to remember the aspects that we have written. This is because the photographic memory of our own handwriting will help us to remember more stuff. Today, the memory retention rates of humans, especially school children, are depleting day by day. Therefore, the use of pen and paper in the school curriculum will be helpful in slowing down their depletion dates.

Moreover, the recent studies conducted on the memory retention aspect of using pen and paper vs computer has depicted that people who use pen and paper to complete a task rather than using tablets seem to be 25 percent faster in completing the task. This totally disrupted the common belief that digital tools increase the efficiency of day-to-day activities and depicted that pen and paper are more convenient to use.


Is memory the only aspect that we need in the future?

Definitely not to survive and strive in the future you should not only be holding memory retention power but should uphold various skills along with faster processing times and adaptability. You cannot use pen and paper for your assignments in your college or university courses. Moreover, the use of pen and paper is limited in your profession as most businesses and industries are trying to move towards a green initiative by cutting down the use of paper and completely relying on digital platforms.


Therefore, it's evident that the students, especially the primary school ones, should be trained and well experienced in writing and taking notes on digital screens which will be beneficial in the future endeavors of their personal as well as professional life. Furthermore, this will add up to the reduction in the use of paper and cutting down of trees for its production, saving a major portion of forest and wildlife in the future.


In conclusion, it cannot be said that the use of pen and paper or digital platforms is better advantageous by weighing down the pros and cons as each has its benefits and demerits. However, it's better that you use your smart screen as it will add up to the betterment in the future and be beneficial. In addition, you can use the pen and paper mode for the aspect where you need more convenience such as taking down notes, or faster responses in interviews or meetings. In the end, we always know better and which is best for us, don't we, so choose accordingly.

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2 Comments


Janet Locane
Janet Locane
Dec 26, 2022

I prefer to write with a pen than with a pencil. But these days, most assignments are done electronically. And this is not very convenient, since the laptop can break and everything you worked on can disappear. That's what happened to me last year. That's why I turned for uk essay help to write my term paper. They helped me write it very quickly. I would not be able to write half of what I prepared earlier in 2 weeks.

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Jeff Thorsen
Jeff Thorsen
Dec 26, 2022

Very interesting, thanks!

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