One of the clear themes coming through from the Tools of Change conference, Frankfurt, was the notion of "Social Reading" or, at worst, reading online and sharing the experience. There was an inspiring keynote from Bob Stein and presentations from the team behind Valobox, and Justo Hidalgo from 24symbols - both of which were introducing new business models for reading online (both worthy of debate, I think). And while I didn't get to it, there was the intriguingly-entitled The Future of eBooks is in the Cloud, Not E-readers... from the Polish company Legimi.

In all cases, I think, the proponents of social reading or micro-purchasing of ebooks online were suggesting a future, indeed a present, where we will all read online: we will collaborate and share thoughts about what we are reading, study together, purchase small portions of a novel on a pay-as-you-go basis. But fundamentally, we will read in a more connected way than we have done before.

Don't get me wrong, I think this is fascinating, and I want you to understand that before you read on: I like the idea, I like the tech, I love the energy and evangelism of the teams creating these experiences and their belief in them. 

But I don't get it. Not for the masses, anyway. I am simply unconvinced by the assertion that people want to read this way. 

One of the laziest objections to eBooks, which I am sure we've all heard is "I couldn't read a book on a screen, ooh no." This from people who spend the best part of the day doing most of their reading on a screen at the office. Just not novels. Once you peel away the excitement coming from the Bob Steins and the Justo Hidalgos you find a movement that is asking people to do just that - read on an online connected screen, using social media tools to share or collaborate, or to have their library of books in the Cloud.

In short, this movement is asking people to read on screen in just the way they say they don't want to.

Surely it's no mistake that e-reading devices have taken off to the extent they have? For those who want to move to eBooks, those devices provide exactly the experience they prefer. Yes it's a screen, yes it's connected, but more than that, it's a pleasant non-computery experience. Unless the desire was there I doubt they would have thrived.

And yet, at TOC, the elephant in the room was e-Ink, and the largest pachyderm - Amazon's Kindle suite - launched a mere two weeks before TOC but which garnered nary a mention.

Perhaps it was only me, but I was surprised how quickly e-Ink and eReaders were being left behind. Alastair Horne (@pressfuturist), on the other hand, said on Twitter: "Surprised to hear some people at TOC assuming that e-ink is the only worthwhile reading platform. Good luck with that!" He may be summing up the current zeitgeist, but I would have been more impressed if people had been creative around how to leverage the devices that already exist, which already have (if you want it) connectivity and social media capability, and which are being improved by their creators. But seemingly ignored by the innovators.

Perhaps, somebody should light a Fire under them?