Tuesday, April 20, 2010

I'm a print girl through and through

Yes, online offers many different options for storytelling. Yes, having video and audio along with a story is both appealing and ridiculously cool. Yes, online comments are a beautiful thing. But I just love reading articles on paper. I am biased, though. Afterall my major is PRINT-editorial journalism. There is just something special about print media that sets it apart. In the same way a hand-written letter is more personal than an email, a crinkley newspaper is more intimate than a web page. I ran across something in a magazine recently and I think it's a good picture of print media:

"We surf the Internet.

We swim in magazines.

The Internet is exhilarating. Magazines are enveloping. The Internet grabs you. Magazines embrace you. The Internet is impulsive. Magazines are immersive. And both media are growing.

Barely noticed amidst the thunderous Internet clamor is the simple fact that magazine readership has risen over the past five years. Even in the age of Internet, even among the groups one would assume are most singularly hooked on digital media, the appeal of magazines is growing.

Think of it this way: during the 12-year life of Google, magazine readership actually increased 11 percent.

What it proves, once again, is that a new medium doesn’t necessarily displace an existing one. Just as movies didn’t kill radio. Just as TV didn’t kill movies. An established medium can continue to flourish so long as it continues to offer a unique experience. And, as reader loyalty and growth demonstrate, magazines do.

Which is why people aren’t giving up swimming, just because they also enjoy surfing.”

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