Is print media dead?

[Hey Joe]

Seeing as we're on a forum dedicated to what began as an online magazine I thought it would be most prudent to hold a discussion on the future directions or demise of print media at large.

Given the current trends toward an online environment and broadcast mediums, typified by plans by The New York Times to become an exclusively online service, are we about to witness the death throes ofa medium?

Or is it as I predict, that print media will always be around but in a diminished form? You see, I think that people have this crazy habit of relaxing on the weekends and lunch breaks with a good article they can read on the couch. Couple with that the large difficulties people have with reading a computer screen for extended periods of time and I just can't see print media dying.

Your thoughts?

 

[Gooble]

I doubt it will even become uncommon-you still see even young people reading the paper (or at least in the UK), and they will continue to do so. The market will probably become more defined as for those who don't use a computer often or can't really use one.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/88581

Nope, but I can understand why many publishers are making the shift to online services.

 

[Logan Keller]

Print media will most likely, in my opinion, take a diminished role in the media as well as radio and television.

It appears to be that before that print media could easily be better than its rivals as the reader could allow to take in more information as it could easily be included into the article before printing.

Radio as well will take a diminished role as the quickest way to receive information as more people will see that the radio can not immediately give news to you all the time.

I also think that television will not have as a large role in a news giving medium as the internet will also take advantage of being able to receive and for people to get to a moving audio-visual news just as quickly as any news program or dedicated news broadcaster could.

Overall I believe that the internet is probably trying to do all of these things but it would be best to use them all for different situations.

Also print media should never go away as there is no better way to read the comics they give.

Sorry for taking advantage of the thread to talk about other media.

 

[Jharry5]

No, I think that print media will always have a place. Just a less prominent one than before.

 

[bkd69]

First off, you have three main categories of print media, newspapers, periodicals, and books.

Here in the US, 2009 will be the year of the great newspaper cull. Some of the larger papers will hold on, but papers serving smaller markets really won't be seeing out the year.

Magazines and other periodicals will vary, depending on subject matter and demographics. Crafting and howto magazines, newsweeklies, fashion magazines, and other older skewing and broad spectrum magazines will be safer for a while yet, while lad mags, music, and technology magazines will likely be meeting their demise sooner. Also, magazines that get most of their sales from impulse buys, either at the checkout aisle, or at kiosks in transit stations will be safer than others.

Books really depend on the subject matter. Computer books are dead. Well, walking dead, so to speak. Textbooks are dead. Art books will hold on, for obvious reasons, as will fiction, as that represents a personalized author/fan connection. Popular science books will fall about the middle on the lifespan chart, while the current affairs books will become digital commodities sooner rather than later.

 

[RetiarySword]

I'm hoping it dies soon. The mainstream newspapers are filled with crap these days.

 

[Puppeteer Putin]

Or is it as I predict, that print media will always be around but in a diminished form?Your thoughts?

I think that many will go towards the way of Opinionated/ Self help/Entertainment route. It's been the recent trend in Newspapers (especially in the UK) as more get their News and information instantly and for free on the internet. There will also be a simple decline in publishing sales as more distributors choose to go digital to save costs and reach a 'younger' audience.

 

[Knight Templar]

If books count they will allways have a large market.

 

[Undead Dragon King]

At least in the United States, after the way they handled the 2008 elections, I think that the print media's times (excuse the pun) are gone. The NYT just took a massive loan from some Mexican billionaire (I forget his name) with insane interest rates in order to avoid bankruptcy. The Chicago and LA newspapers aren't faring much better. Subscriptions are down for both Time and Newsweek.

Is it a sign of the age we live in? I'm not sure. But most of my friends say that the print media in America is on its last legs. I'm inclined to agree.

 

[Peach_hat]

I think Print Media will always have it's use, though it won't die completely just slowly phase out till it's an uncommon thing.

Print media will out last the internet.

 

[Jursa]

After the downfall of society it will be more powerful than ever...

 

[nova18]

Print media has been around for much longer than the Internet and it will still be around for years to come. I still buy gaming magazines and The Guardian (UK) just as I read TheEscapist and Sky news online.

I think it may lose popularity because of the ease of access the internet now has. But dont forget, most people have little access to the net outside their homes, so newspaper sales will still be strong.

 

[TwistedEllipses]

Print media is cheaper, more disposable and who would mug you for a copy of 'time' magazine?