I think the point is that everyone is shocked to see an actual newspaper.

There's something about holding the actual paper that makes it nicer.

Eco friendly? A computer is a bunch of plastic little pieces, coltan and lithium ions batteries and it consummes electricity. Eco friendly is not a very accurate adjective for that, I guess.

I've always thought that a business that encourages the planting of trees is a good thing. Yes, I know processing paper can be bad for the environment, but more and more acres of trees have been planted to support paper and lumber industries each year (which also creates habitats for wildlife and plants). And paper processing has become more environmentally friendly, capturing and recycling much of the chemicals. I think people forget that electricity isn't environmentally nil-sum. Much of the world's electricity is still created by burning oil and coal, and dams and windmills will have some impact on the animals in the environment, and nuclear power is great until there's a problem. And solar concentration sites incinerate birds and affect the plant life around them as well. I guess it's "pick your poison".

I think the difference is that everyone else is with other people & yet they are still on their laptops, whilst the paper reader is simply having some 'me time'.

I can read a physical paper much faster than an electronic edition plus no obnoxious ads moving or popping up in my face. You can ignore printed ads much easier and concentrate on the true article content.

People need to feel superior.

<<Totally different take, here. I assumed the rattling of the paper distracted the 'bots'

My parents love reading the paper paper. By the time they're done, I've hit news outlets all across the US, in Canada, the UK, maybe Australia and other areas. To each their own.

It is truly sad that I just read that you do not understand the issue with this photo. WOW. Yes you just proved there are humans sill this blind today in this world. Congratulations.

A paperbook is printet once and can be read a thousand times... you use resources every time you read an e-book. Think about it for just a second...

I think the idea is reading a newspaper across the table from a friend in a cafe would be terribly rude, but no one thinks anything of holding a screen up at the table.

one day i was sitting on a sill waiting for someone, and one guy just stopped and asked me if he could take my picture, and i asked why, and then he answered in a digital wold where people are focused on screens for 24/7 seeing you reading a book is like seeing one specie out of extinction. that should answer you

I think the meaning is that people get shocked if you do something differently than most of them, for example having a mobile with buttons while everyone uses the touch ones

Yes. But the point is that everybody else think you are weird, if you actually read something not digital.

There's nothing eco friendly about a plastic electronic device with a toxic battery powering it.......................................................

I like reading books before I sleep. Ebooks keep your brain awake.

not more eco friendly, paper can be recycled and made from plantation timber. Laptops are pads from rare earth metals and plastics then thrown in the trash

How is using electricity more eco-friendly?

No way laptops/tablets are more ecofriendly. The plastic, metal, rare earth minerals requires for the battery, the power needed to keep it running are way more enviro-damaging than recyclable paper that sequesters carbon and is made from trees that are re-planted.

КОГДА ЧИТАЕШЬ КНИГУ, ТО ОЩУЩАЕШЬ В РУКАХ НАСТОЯЩУЮ БУМАГУ, А ЭТОТ АРОМАТ ИЗДАНИЯ НАСТОЯЩИЙ КНИГОЛЮБ НИ С ЧЕМ НЕ СРАВНИТ... ТАК ЧТО ЭЛЕКТРОННЫЕ КНИГИ В ЭТОМ ОЧЕНЬ МНОГО ПРОТГРЫВАЮТ

If your newspaper gets stolen you're out a couple of bucks. If your laptop or tablet gets stolen, it's a little bit more.

More eco friendly? Maybe. But I think when you consider the electricity needed to charge millions of devices, the servers used to produce as well as the ever growing huge warehouses of server ‘clouds’ needed to store them, I suggest the gap is minimal.

Nothing wrong, for sure, but there os difference, when finish reading a newspaper you recycle and your done for the day. Computer you get lost in it from browsing and so forth, time flies and the day is gone, like they say, take time to smell the roses.

No one else in this picture understands it either; that’s the point.

Old outdated computers and their batteries are not very eco friendly.

You do not get it, Ola!

Maybe he was commenting on how everyone used to read the same papers instead of everyone reading different things?

Yes, when the electricity is gone what are you going to read and how are you going to read it?

You missed the point.

Its actually explaining a phenomenon..Our world its about number, for example if you walk on street and bump to a person who still using Walkman or Cassete Tape, for a moment you will think its kinda weird or unique..since now almost everyone listen from their phone..people start to forgotting the basics

That is another way to look at it. But my idea is that the artist portrayed this as how everyone with the electronic devices are shocked at the one man reading a newspaper. Because so many people use electronics today. You have a point, but I don't think (in my humble opinion) that this piece was about socializing.

@kristel it can be both tbh. Like an implicit hint in the implicit satire or smtg

yep , only your interpretation is valid. sweet irony considering the art.