Abstract:

［Purpose/Significance］In the new technology environment, there are many kinds of reading mediums. This paper intends to understand how readers choose and use different mediums in order to provide appropriate service according to readers' behavior characteristics, and help maximize the use of resources.
［Design/Methodology］This paper sort out existing research on reading mediums abroad, which could be divided into three stages according to the development of internet. Meanwhile, the main achievements and characteristics of each stage have been summarized. ［Findings/Conclusion］Before the advent of cable Internet, early research focused on readability of computer screens. During the prevalence of cable internet, researchers mainly studied readers’ behaviors and attitudes of papery medium and computer mediums, as well as their impact factors. The emergence of mobile Internet has expanded the types of reading medium. At the same time, reading behaviors of smart phones, e-readers and tablets have become new research focus, while several theories have arisen that attempt to explain the behaviors and attitudes of readers. ［Originality/Value］This paper has comprehensively summarized foreign research progress on reading medium selection, and made an assessment of the main problems of current research. It also provides an outlook of future research and an enlightenment to the relevant research in China.

Keywords: Reading medium, Medium selection, Reading behavior, Papery medium, Computer medium, Mobile medium