Could not agree more. I also find that I don't retain information that I read on a screen but I retain information from print media quite well. I've started to wonder if memory relies heavily on additional senses, like touch, and sensory experiences that are almost entirely visual don't stick with us the same way. I can remember specific passages from books I read 15 years ago and I can even picture where they are on the page and how far they are into the book, whereas I can barely remember which articles I read on HN during work on Friday, let alone the content.
I become more convinced each day that online life is a shallow substitute for a human existence in so many small ways that will only become clear to us in retrospect.
I think you're totally right that the tactile nature of holding books and flipping through pages reenforces things. I can't prove it, but I can second the observation!
They say that smell is deeply linked to memory and books often have a particular smell too, whether it's from the paper or the ink or whatever. I wonder if that plays into it as well? I was going to say someone should study this but it appears many people already have: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X1...
I find a similar effect from taking notes by hand - it reinforces the information much more strongly than typing. In college this was my major "hack" to get as much as possible out of my classes.
I become more convinced each day that online life is a shallow substitute for a human existence in so many small ways that will only become clear to us in retrospect.