What I meant was, if you take a set of pictures, like <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.co.uk&#x2F;staticarchive&#x2F;e96051ca2891859fb3168521f441b379b5c47441.jpg" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.co.uk&#x2F;staticarchive&#x2F;e96051ca2891859fb3168521f...</a> <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;iew2012.ercblogs.co.za&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;2013&#x2F;05&#x2F;people-reading-in-library-630x300.jpg" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;iew2012.ercblogs.co.za&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;2013&#x2F;05&#x2F;peo...</a> <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.dreamstime.com&#x2F;royalty-free-stock-images-spouses-like-to-read-books-image12312359" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.dreamstime.com&#x2F;royalty-free-stock-images-spouses-...</a> or <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.washingtonpost.com&#x2F;sf&#x2F;brand-connect&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;sites&#x2F;3&#x2F;2015&#x2F;08&#x2F;Mary-Driscoll_Librarian_resized.jpg" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.washingtonpost.com&#x2F;sf&#x2F;brand-connect&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;up...</a> , where there are several people reading books, and remove the books, then it would also look like a lonely world.<p>Your reply is a bit different, which is that we do certain practices now that would not have been socially acceptable (say) 20 years ago, had it been replaced by a book.<p>First, I did read books at the table 20 years ago. Going back a generation more, President Carter also read at the table, as did his daughter. Quoting from <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;articles.baltimoresun.com&#x2F;1998-03-18&#x2F;features&#x2F;1998077088_1_book-of-knowledge-read-interesting-books" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;articles.baltimoresun.com&#x2F;1998-03-18&#x2F;features&#x2F;1998077...</a> :<p>&gt; I&#x27;ve been reading ever since I was a child. My mother read day and night when she was nursing, whenever she could. And all of our family have read at the table. Amy got caught reading at the table at a state banquet...So books have been a part of our life.&quot;<p>While some certainly thought it was rude, others did not.<p>Just like smartphones now.<p>Second, replace books with newspapers for a closer equivalent. Here are couples reading the paper at breakfast - <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;static9.depositphotos.com&#x2F;1729220&#x2F;1228&#x2F;i&#x2F;950&#x2F;depositphotos_12289482-Couple-reading-newspaper-at-breakfast-table.jpg" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;static9.depositphotos.com&#x2F;1729220&#x2F;1228&#x2F;i&#x2F;950&#x2F;depositp...</a> and <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.gettyimages.com&#x2F;detail&#x2F;nyhetsfoto&#x2F;american-astronaut-michael-collins-and-his-wife-pat-as-they-nyhetsfoto&#x2F;88999253" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.gettyimages.com&#x2F;detail&#x2F;nyhetsfoto&#x2F;american-astron...</a> .<p>Third, replace books with TV for an alternative older equivalent for the dinner table. After TV we as a culture rearranged our living rooms so the TV was the center of attention, not each other. We invented special tables so we could eat in front of the TV. Remove the TV in <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;epicpew.com&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;2015&#x2F;05&#x2F;television_watching.jpg" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;epicpew.com&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;2015&#x2F;05&#x2F;television_wat...</a> and leave a blank wall, then wonder why everyone is staring at the wall. Which is why it was called the boob tube.