Print media: Future not so bleak

Computers and video games haven't killed physical toys and games, so there's no reason why the digital world should kill print. The amazing ranges of technological opportunities that can be used to support and interact with print media are definitely a bonus, not a threat

Whether the print media will survive the onslaught of the electronic media or not has become a hot topic of discussion in the recent days. With the advent of tablets and e-readers, may argue that there will a time, and not too far away– when print media becomes obsolete. Already a number of newspapers and magazines have closed shop or have gone for the web option. However in this writer’s opinion there will always be people who won't have access to or simply won’t prefer Kindles, iPads, PCs, iPhones, etc. In many cases it is much simpler to and more practical to have something on paper, rather than on a screen. In any case some people's eyes are bothered by constantly looking at an illuminated screen. However though much of written word will move to the digital domain, there will always be a place for print media.
Yet it’s also true that the newspaper industry here is on the decline. In Bangladesh it is believed that many prominent newspapers are losing circulation as well as revenue.  Interestingly enough globally the circulation figures of major newspapers around the world have increased over the years; publishers have come up with a deluge of books and new magazine titles pop up from nowhere
everyday.
However the current situation may not be a permanent one. The solution perhaps lies in adaptation. The editors may need to find more creative ways to bring their publication to the consumer, but it is quite obvious that the print media still has a place in modern society. Newspapers and books are trying to get more attractive with the incorporation of visuals and graphics and interactivity to some extent, and all of them together are going online.
As one reader said, “I will never ever read my favourite magazine online because I like being able to carry it around, mark the page, and pull it out in an instant or browse through it when I am bored. Sure the internet is useful in seeing breaking events and such but papers and magazines will always exist as long as they provide deeper context for what’s going on out there.” People still enjoy having the actual material being held in their hand or laying open on the drawing room table. Sure you can always get fast updates by going on the Internet but it’s more relaxing and comfortable being able to flip through pages rather than scrolling down your computer monitor. It's a morning ritual for a lot of people to step outside, get their newspaper, and sit down with a cup of tea and catch up on the news. Booting up a computer, even a laptop, cannot replace that feeling.
Admittedly, social media has emerged as a strong forum for sharing of information and ideas. In the recent past, it has been witnessed that news was first broken on social media before being taken up by mainstream media. This just goes to show how influential it could be. While its significance can't be denied, there's a flip side to it too. Unfortunately, anyone, including some bloggers, with or without fake IDs, can spread venom, disinformation and arguments based on pure disinformation without fear of any consequences whatsoever in social media. Trolls have become a reality. The advent of the Internet may have made it easy for people to get information but it has made it difficult to find quality information. That’s where journalism comes in. More people will become more reliant on journalists to help them figure out what is important.
In the ever changing era of media landscape, print remains relevant and widely used. The newspapers, magazines, and other forms of physical media are still used by millions everyday. And there is a reason for that.
It is important for media organizations to learn from the experiences, failures, difficulties and innovations of others. Change is inevitable and organizations need to use this knowledge to develop realistic strategies, especially marrying new technologies with newsgathering processes. It would not be a bad idea for programmers to work with journalists in newsrooms to generate ideas.
Common sense suggests that there are aspects of print media that makes it an important and indispensable platform for the readers and also marketing and advertising campaigns of businesses. The Forbes magazine has identified four characteristics of print media which are extremely valuable both for readers and advertisers. Print media is tangible, engaging, credible and targeted. As it is something physical print is tangible. Because of this, it can stay around audiences for a significantly longer span of time as compared to internet, TV and others.
Readers and ad-people will also take into account the fact that there are a number of authorizing bodies that decide which item gets published, so there is that assurance of the credibility. The credibility factor is obviously higher in comparison to others. Print media is way more targeted. Many of the readers are subscribers.
Emma Munro Smith, a journalist said “Computers and video games haven't killed physical toys and games, so there's no reason why the digital world should kill print. Lack of innovation or providing a poor product is far more likely to do that. The amazing ranges of technological opportunities that can be used to support and interact with print are definitely a bonus, not a threat.”
People do understand that printed publications don’t suffer from the technical headaches that plague e-devices. They are not susceptible to reception black spots, and there is no need to wait for them to boot up before you can access their content. Printed publications are highly portable and accessible. As indicated earlier they lend themselves more easily to comfortable reading. More importantly credible research indicates that most people retain much more information they take in from a printed page, than from a computer screen. It’s not clear yet why this is so, but experts say that the difference in recall is nevertheless remarkable.
If we take a look at the online world the most popular information websites are still operated by big newspapers. The quality of journalism produced by traditional print media is still way ahead of the combined might of all the bloggers that inhabit cyberspace. There are simply too many spelling mistakes and poor grammar that fills the online media. Some articles or blogs are so full of errors that they are well nigh unreadable. Now see the contrast in printed publications. The very permanent nature urges writers to take more care with what they produce. The newspapers and magazines also employ trained sub-editors to minimise errors. Since print emerged four centuries ago, it has been a highly effective communication tool. In the last couple of decades, innovations in communications have presented new challenges to print, but it still maintains its important status on the market and studies have shown that the highest revenues are reached when print is incorporated into multimedia campaigns.
Print media has been around from so many centuries and the reason why it has survived for so long is the reason why it will not die in the future. So it can safely be said that like Mark Twain’s death, the predicted demise of the print media has been exaggerated.  

The writer is Assistant Editor of The Independent and can be contacted at: [email protected]

Print media: Future not so bleak

Computers and video games havent killed physical toys and games, so theres no reason why the digital world should kill print. The amazing ranges of technological opportunities that can be used to support and interact with print media are definitely a bonus, not a threat

Whether the print media will survive the onslaught of the electronic media or not has become a hot topic of discussion in the recent days. With the advent of tablets and e-readers, may argue that there will a time, and not too far away when print media becomes obsolete. Already a number of newspapers and magazines have closed shop or have gone for the web option. However in this writers opinion there will always be people who wont have access to or simply wont prefer Kindles, iPads, PCs, iPhones, etc. In many cases it is much simpler to and more practical to have something on paper, rather than on a screen. In any case some peoples eyes are bothered by constantly looking at an illuminated screen. However though much of written word will move to the digital domain, there will always be a place for print media. Yet its also true that the newspaper industry here is on the decline. In Bangladesh it is believed that many prominent newspapers are losing circulation as well as revenue. Interestingly enough globally the circulation figures of major newspapers around the world have increased over the years; publishers have come up with a deluge of books and new magazine titles pop up from nowhere everyday. However the current situation may not be a permanent one. The solution perhaps lies in adaptation. The editors may need to find more creative ways to bring their publication to the consumer, but it is quite obvious that the print media still has a place in modern society. Newspapers and books are trying to get more attractive with the incorporation of visuals and graphics and interactivity to some extent, and all of them together are going online. As one reader said, I will never ever read my favourite magazine online because I like being able to carry it around, mark the page, and pull it out in an instant or browse through it when I am bored. Sure the internet is useful in seeing breaking events and such but papers and magazines will always exist as long as they provide deeper context for whats going on out there. People still enjoy having the actual material being held in their hand or laying open on the drawing room table. Sure you can always get fast updates by going on the Internet but its more relaxing and comfortable being able to flip through pages rather than scrolling down your computer monitor. Its a morning ritual for a lot of people to step outside, get their newspaper, and sit down with a cup of tea and catch up on the news. Booting up a computer, even a laptop, cannot replace that feeling. Admittedly, social media has emerged as a strong forum for sharing of information and ideas. In the recent past, it has been witnessed that news was first broken on social media before being taken up by mainstream media. This just goes to show how influential it could be. While its significance cant be denied, theres a flip side to it too. Unfortunately, anyone, including some bloggers, with or without fake IDs, can spread venom, disinformation and arguments based on pure disinformation without fear of any consequences whatsoever in social media. Trolls have become a reality. The advent of the Internet may have made it easy for people to get information but it has made it difficult to find quality information. Thats where journalism comes in. More people will become more reliant on journalists to help them figure out what is important. In the ever changing era of media landscape, print remains relevant and widely used. The newspapers, magazines, and other forms of physical media are still used by millions everyday. And there is a reason for that. It is important for media organizations to learn from the experiences, failures, difficulties and innovations of others. Change is inevitable and organizations need to use this knowledge to develop realistic strategies, especially marrying new technologies with newsgathering processes. It would not be a bad idea for programmers to work with journalists in newsrooms to generate ideas. Common sense suggests that there are aspects of print media that makes it an important and indispensable platform for the readers and also marketing and advertising campaigns of businesses. The Forbes magazine has identified four characteristics of print media which are extremely valuable both for readers and advertisers. Print media is tangible, engaging, credible and targeted. As it is something physical print is tangible. Because of this, it can stay around audiences for a significantly longer span of time as compared to internet, TV and others. Readers and ad-people will also take into account the fact that there are a number of authorizing bodies that decide which item gets published, so there is that assurance of the credibility. The credibility factor is obviously higher in comparison to others. Print media is way more targeted. Many of the readers are subscribers. Emma Munro Smith, a journalist said Computers and video games havent killed physical toys and games, so theres no reason why the digital world should kill print. Lack of innovation or providing a poor product is far more likely to do that. The amazing ranges of technological opportunities that can be used to support and interact with print are definitely a bonus, not a threat. People do understand that printed publications dont suffer from the technical headaches that plague e-devices. They are not susceptible to reception black spots, and there is no need to wait for them to boot up before you can access their content. Printed publications are highly portable and accessible. As indicated earlier they lend themselves more easily to comfortable reading. More importantly credible research indicates that most people retain much more information they take in from a printed page, than from a computer screen. Its not clear yet why this is so, but experts say that the difference in recall is nevertheless remarkable. If we take a look at the online world the most popular information websites are still operated by big newspapers. The quality of journalism produced by traditional print media is still way ahead of the combined might of all the bloggers that inhabit cyberspace. There are simply too many spelling mistakes and poor grammar that fills the online media. Some articles or blogs are so full of errors that they are well nigh unreadable. Now see the contrast in printed publications. The very permanent nature urges writers to take more care with what they produce. The newspapers and magazines also employ trained sub-editors to minimise errors. Since print emerged four centuries ago, it has been a highly effective communication tool. In the last couple of decades, innovations in communications have presented new challenges to print, but it still maintains its important status on the market and studies have shown that the highest revenues are reached when print is incorporated into multimedia campaigns. Print media has been around from so many centuries and the reason why it has survived for so long is the reason why it will not die in the future. So it can safely be said that like Mark Twains death, the predicted demise of the print media has been exaggerated. The writer is Assistant Editor of The Independent and can be contacted at: [email protected]