A Pro/Con Look at the Value of Print
Oct 23rd, 2007 by Dan Blank
Mathew Ingram summarizes a pro/con view of the value of print, from the recent edition of MediaPost magazine.
- Pro:
“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.” - Con:
“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.”
Really??? We can only display our intelligence, wealth, and sense of taste by displaying the covers of magazines, books and newspapers? I guess that settles it. So, can we assume David Zinczenko’s house is wall-to-wall with copies of Fortune Magazine, Architectural Digest, and books about John D. Rockefeller?
While I don’t think print will go away completely, the writing is on the wall for magazines, newspapers, and other news sources. People don’t want to pay more for old news when they can get up-to-date news for free. Books are another story - while some topics (STM, Business, Educational) will find a home online, fiction and recreational reading may outlive all of us on pulp.