One-in-Three eReading Devices Are Used for What?

We've heard of hate-reading—the kind of reading you do out of disgust or loathing or contempt for the author. Now, it seems that a new type of reading style has emerged: call it "shame-reading."

In a poll cited by The Daily Mail, 34% of a test group of 1,863 subjects admitted to having used their e-reading devices to read erotic novels. And 57% of the same group of adults said they had used theirs to hide the fact that they were reading young adult literature, like Harry Potter, and 28% to disguise their sci-fi book habit. Overall, 58% of respondents said they use their e-readers specifically to "hide" what they are reading.

These same adults filled nearly three-quarters of their bookshelves with autobiographies, political memoirs, and other non-fiction; on their e-readers, those genres accounted for just 14% of their reading material.

With so much of our technology working to connect us and allow our private lives exposure, the privacy afforded by the e-reader is an uncommon advantage. (If that's, you know, what you're into.) And shame-reading will likely only grow in practice, as authors discover this lucrative sub-market of the ebook industry and cater directly to it. [DailyMail - Image via preetamrai/Flickr]