MediaPost: Is print doomed or not?

by Mathew on October 22, 2007 · Comments

Two pieces in the latest issue of MediaPost magazine take opposite views on the issue of print’s longevity (or lack thereof). One, by Adam Penenberg — who has written for Forbes, the New York Times and Wired magazine — argues that print will almost surely disappear over time, simply because digital content is so much more flexible. It can be consumed on PCs and on mobile devices, and it supports video and interactivity in a way that print doesn’t. Penenberg says:

“Print as a medium will ultimately fade away, just as parchment became paper, the typewriter gave way to the pc, and the waxed cylinder morphed into the record, then the compact disc, and now the digital download. The first to go will be newspapers, but over time magazines and even books will follow.”

The other piece, by David Zinczenko — editor of Men’s Health magazine — argues that print will always be with us, whether it’s magazines, newspapers or books. Why? Because, Zinczenko says, we like to display our intelligence or wealth or sense of taste to those around us, and we can only do that by displaying the covers of magazines, books and newspapers. As he puts it:

“Sharing The New York Times with overnight guests, reading Best Life on the shuttle, or taking Blink to the beach tells those who occupy our physical space something about who we are - our values, our priorities, our interests. They are outward expressions of our individuality, and their impact simply can’t be duplicated by an electronic medium.”

Unfortunately, that’s the entirety of Zinczenko’s argument — an argument that comes under withering fire from Gawker, and not without justification. The thing that’s going to save print is that people are so egotistical they will continue buying and reading books and magazines just to show off? That’s a pretty sad argument.

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Viewing 4 Comments

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    The key here will be epaper technology. Good quality, low cost eBook readers could deliver the death blow to print media.
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    Well, I certainly think paper will eventually go away but I don’t think it will be any time even remotely soon. The problem with books and to a certain extent magazines is permanence. Your favorite copy of Moby Dick is not going to crash on you where as your hard drive very well might.

    I think the turning point will come when someone manages to make a deal with all the media companies to provide some kind of digital repository that people can keep their stuff in for life. This is a much bigger problem though than it seems because the dirty truth of the matter is that media companies know people lose their media and count on it for additional sales. I can think of several CDs that I’ve bought at least 3 times in my life because the original got lost or damaged.

    So allowing people a sense of permanence in their digital media means giving up a huge revenue stream for publishers. On that same note, digital media means no more “Special Editions” for book publishers. A new cover goes over a lot better than an e-book with a new jpg file included.

    Based on all that I don’t see paper disappearing anytime in my lifetime. There are just too many forces pulling against each other to allow it to happen. That said, newspapers are probably dead (I sometimes find it hard to believe that hasn’t already happened yet)
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    epaper needs to get the convenience and DPI down pat before print has a shot at dying.

    Print will always be a little more convenient for bringing with us. epaper might hold tons of content, but never underestimate not needing a battery.

    What scares the crap out of me is as we adopt more and more technology we are effectively guaranteeing that information will be lost to future generations. Which might be a good thing because we create so much of it now, but still.

    More thoughts on that subject
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    Batteries won't be a problem once we get those solar-panel implants in our heads, Engtech :-)

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