Social interaction in e-reading

Based on the study of Hirsh-Pasek et al., social interaction in apps includes face-to-face interaction in the same physical space, communication through technologies in virtual space, and parasocial relations with characters. It is interesting that in the e-reading space, little social interaction is involved. Research done by Miller mentioned some benefits of parents reading together with their children, but I was wondering how to best leverage technologies can facilitate parent-child interaction in the virtual space as well. For example, parents can, through parent account, keep track of where their children are reading and questions they propose, so that parents do not have to always be around to assist with their children’s reading experience. I’m not sure whether parasocial relation in e-reading is possible, but it makes me think of the importance of the content of e-books, since technologies focus too much on the format of the e-books. How might we empower storytellers to generate intriguing and educational content?

I think a lot can be done to improve social interaction in e-reading experience: ways to facilitate collaborative reading in the same physical space and online, and create great content and interaction that foster parasocial relations.