When it comes to the title of “Biggest Waste of Space,” it is safe to say college textbooks would be right near the top. Could these books be more obsolete?

Some books can be up to a couple hundred dollars and change.

Physical books, in general, will always serve a purpose. However, college textbooks apprear to have lost theirs. The main purpose of a college textbook is to look up information, a function for which the internet was tailor-made. Thanks to the world wide web, many college textbooks are now available as a downloaded file that can be purchased or rented from sites like Amazon and Chegg. Not are only they cheaper than their physical counterparts, but one can search for keywords and get page results instantly. This is much better than hunting down a term in the index and flipping back and forth through pages.

Another factor that is contributing to college textbooks’ obnoxious existence are the lectures and classes themselves. Many colleges now have digital platforms such as Blackboard, where professors share assignments, projects and any other information previously shared through countless sheets of paper.

Ultimately, using these digital platforms are more efficient and better for the environment. It is also much tougher for one to misplace or lose assignments since they can always be found online on a laptop or a computer lab.

The price tag on textbooks is what makes them the most repulsive objects on the planet. According to an article on campustechnology.com, the average number of textbooks a student needs per year is nine for which they spend about $602. There are plenty of ways to find cheaper digital versions of textbooks all throughout the internet. Amazon is one the of best resources to find these alternatives to perhaps the biggest ripoff anyone will experience not just in their college careers, but their entire lives. An article by Time questioned whether or not students really save money by renting the digital textbooks offered by Amazon. It turns out they can save as much as 80 percent off regular textbook prices. The article also states that renting these e-books are about half the cost of buying them.

When it comes down it, our society should desperately try to move away from the physical textbook-filled world. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, they do still exist for the time being.

Photo provided by John Liu via flickr