Classification Notice for Book Beside Bed

CLASSIFICATION NOTICE RE: The book beside the bed TYPE: Aspirational presence object

Description

The book beside the bed is a book that is physically present at the primary reading location, which is beside the bed, and which is being classified based on its actual function relative to its intended function.

Intended function: reading, most likely in the period before sleep. Actual function: aspirational presence, reminder of reading intentions, occasional reading.

The Reading Record

The book was placed in March. It is now late May. The book contains 312 pages. Forty pages have been read.

The forty pages were read on fourteen occasions averaging three pages per session. Sessions were typically shorter than intended because the phone was also present and was checked before or during the reading session.

The Competition Analysis

The phone has several advantages over the book for pre-sleep use:

• The phone provides new content each time it is opened. The book provides the same content it provided the previous night.
• The phone requires less cognitive engagement to operate. The book requires following a narrative.
• The phone can be used at any brightness. The book requires a light that may disturb a partner.
• The phone has a feedback mechanism (likes, updates, new messages). The book does not know whether you are reading it.

The Book's Position

The book maintains its position because:

• Removing it would require accepting that the reading intention has not been implemented.
• The book's presence is evidence of the reading intention, which is still real.
• Occasionally, usually on a Sunday or a holiday, the book is actually read.

The classification is: aspirational presence object. Status: retained.