Why is it, that the larger the computer monitor, the higher its native resolution?

This bugs me too. Short answer is that higher resolution screens are really expensive.

This is a 2560×1440 screen from Dell for $980 (same directly from Dell is $1099). And here is the crazy shit, the one from Apple is only 20 bucks more.

I use three 21.5 inch HP ones at 1920X1080. I can see them fine and to bump things up it is crazy expensive.

Keeping the same DPI with more I leads to more D.

My monitor is 1920*1080 and measures 32”; same as @johnpowell‘s 21.5”.

Resolution and size are not related in the way you think they are, and what you seem to actually want are pixels the size of your thumbnail. Most people think that looks too blocky. Either that our you want more pixels, but the only ways to do that are smaller letters or bigger screens.

Consumers: native resolution for video that is 1920×1080p is native for high def; to not lose pixels is to see the “true” image in full;

Professionals: the added screen real estate is necessary to be able to accommodate extra windows (all those extra functions, plug-ins, filters, etc.) and still see your “canvas.” for graphic designers, the ability to see multi-page spreads in full res is so important for page layout. Think of any pro industry where it’s necessary to view documents in other than 8.5×11 (architecture blue prints, musical conductor scores, designers, fine artists)...basically anyone that would use large documents “in real life” needs a big screen with high resolution and sharp, “retina display” (translates to high DPI) graphics.

Just wait until Super HD comes out (6x the number of pixels than 1080p). And, 3D, which is “now” technology…

Have you tired hitting “Ctrl +” to enlarge the image? You can keep doing that until the letters fill the screen.

What I’d like is to see more text on a larger monitor, not smaller text. For example, on a 1024×768 (14”) monitor, this Fluther page displays the same the amount of information as on a 1920 X 1080 (24”) monitor. The text on the larger monitor is smaller and the screen shows a lot of blank space on either side. This bugs me. That seems like a lot of wasted space.

The blank space on both sides is most probably a programming issue, because some apps, like Gmail, can fill the spaces all the way, but the text is still is smaller. I can use the “Ctrl +” trick that @worriedguy mentions, but this does not seem to be a setting that websites “remember” (say, via cookies), so I usually have to do this every time.

@jerv I understand that if I take the same number of dots and stretch them out over a larger space, I will get blockiness and fuzziness because the dpi number actually decreases. I agree that’s not desirable, and it’s not what I’m asking for. But why don’t manufacturers siimply cover the larger area of a larger monitor with the same density of dots as before? But no. When they build a larger monitor, they tend to also pack it with smaller dots at greater density (which, as I understand it, is what “higher resolution” means). Is this generally what people want? Is that why they do it?

More pixels allows for more text to be shown. My Droid X can display more of a page (in portrait mode) than my netbook could; 854 pixels vertically as opposed to a mere 600. That means less scrolling. How you only see the same amount of text on a 1920*1080 screen as you do on a 1024*768 screen is beyond me, unless you have a screwed up setting somewhere. I see more on my 1920*1080 desktop than on my 1366*768 laptop.

Many chose bigger screens so they can view full pages or more of a huge image (like a blueprint) at a time. You really can’t do that unless you have a lot of pixels. Try viewing a 25 megapixel image at 100% and you will only see a tiny portion of it at 800*600, but may actually have a usable view of it at 1280*960. So yes, they do it because that is what people want; more pixels.

Now, if my screen had the same DPI as @johnpowell,‘s can you guess what the resolution would be? Without doing the math, I’d say my screen would have a resolution around 3200*1600… and would have to extrapolate to view HD unless I wanted a huge black border all around. Hence why I have lower DPI. I sit far enough away that I don’t notice how big the pixels are; the screen isn’t right in front of my face.

Something is definitely wrong if the text on your 24” 1920×1080 looks significantly smaller than on your 14” 1027×768. According to this site, the dpi for these two monitors is extremely close (8428 pixels / sq. in. versus 8356 pixels / sq. in.) You should make sure that your 14” is set to the proper resolution.
http://tvcalculator.com/

Also, since the 23” has 1080 lines of vertical resolution, compared to 768 lines on the 14”, you should see approximately 40% more vertical info and text. Again, make sure your monitors are set to the proper resolution.

Manufacturers do tend to try and keep monitors at a usable dpi for most people and most screen sizes, but since they’re dealing with fixed resolutions and differences of opinions among users, there can be some variation. For example, you can find 20” monitors in both 1366×768 and 1600×900 resolution. Obviously, the text and images on the higher resolution 20” are going to be smaller, but since it shows more, some may prefer it. It depends on eyesight, distance from the screen, and personal preference.

Also, higher resolution does NOT mean higher dpi or “density of dots.” It simply means more dots overall. For example, a 42” 1080p HDTV has the same resolution as your 24” monitor, but the larger screen has the same number of dots over a larger area, hence a lower dpi. In contrast, the 720p 4.3” screen on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone doesn’t have that much higher resolution than your 14” screen, but since it’s such a smaller screen, the dpi is significantly higher.

As for the “blank space” on the sides of certain sites, it’s a web design formatting issue. Some sites allow for their pages to stretch as wide as the user wants, while other sites like Fluther will use a maximum or fixed width. If you reduce your browser window, Fuither won’t shrink past a certain point, causing a horizontal scroll bar to appear. It’s not an issue with the monitor or browser, but with the way the site was designed.

And finally, if you’re using Internet Explorer, you can keep the larger font sizes by telling IE to ignore the font settings specified on web pages. It’s part of their Accessibility options:
http://extension.missouri.edu/eden/Help/small-text-IE.htm