The resurgence of print? Or not
They say a book is a dream you can hold in your hands while you’re wide awake. They say a book is a gift you can open up again and again. Both sayings reference a bountiful appreciation for reading by illuminating the value of the physicality that comes with reading a story. Stories are known for their potential to dance in your mind, saturate your creative passion, and come to life on the page … but what if that page was suddenly only an image on a tiny, digitized screen? Then what are we doing? Is a book still a dream while we’re wide awake and is that dream still a gift that we can open up again and again?
As Matthew Bedard, the Editor in Chief of the fashion and culture magazine, Flaunt Magazine says, print magazines tell stories just as books do. In fact, he says magazines are “enablers” – highlighting a story’s infinite potential to empower and inspire people. The possibility that print magazines may be dying worries not only Bedard but thousands of other print creators in the world. Yet, some say print is on the path to resurgence. Therefore, the question remains, which direction are we really headed in?
Last year, I had the extraordinary opportunity to intern with Flaunt Magazine in Los Angeles, CA. During my time at the magazine, I learned plenty about the beauty and passion that comes along with the industry. And while it is no surprise nor secret that the print industry may be dwindling, many creators believe there is a stark difference between magazines and newspapers, and the level of interest that comes along with both.
For newspapers, their popularity and sales have seen a dramatic decline over the last decade. According to Press Gazette, “In March [2022], it fell by 14% year-on-year and 2% compared to the month before.” Press Gazette writer Charlotte Tobitt says that numerous newspapers such as the Guardian, the Telegraph, and the News UK have chosen to privatize their print circulation numbers more recently to hide their declining numbers. Despite the publisher of the Guardian stating they still have a “long-standing commitment to print”, this privatization decision puts the concern for the future of print in the spotlight. Plus, a decrease in print circulation data makes it apparent that newspapers are not doing nearly as well as it used to. In fact, the market size of the Newspaper Publishing Industry is expected to decline -0.3% in 2022, according to IBISWorld. Yet, on the other hand, the data also shows that digital circulation on weekdays is up by 27%, and on Sundays, its up by 26%, insinuating an inevitable transformation from print to digital media.
However, magazine sales may have a more promising future. According to a leading market research company, Technavio says, “the global magazine publishing market is expected to grow by USD 3.43 Billion during 2021-2025.” Another study from the Statista research expert Amy Watson also found that the number of magazine readers in the U.S. has grown in recent time. Between the years 2016-2020, there were above 220 million total magazine readers every year, while in the year prior, it was only around 210-215 million readers. Along with this data, Media Voices writer Peter Houston believes that print magazines also have a stronger chance in this digital world because they offer “quirk, character and community” values that can override the satisfaction of digital immediacy. Plus, more often than not people need breaks from their digitally-saturated days and print media presents an excellent escape for that.
Regardless of the medium in which the ideas are passed, newspapers and magazines serve relatively the same purpose; the amelioration of society, an inside look into a person’s life, a book of poetry, a creative escape, or an inspiration to admire. Despite the countless declarations that print is dying, or digital is dying, research shows that most of it is merely subjective.
After speaking with numerous people in the magazine industry and working at Flaunt for a few months, I’ve learned that the battle between print and digital simply does not have to be a battle. Instead, print and digital publications have the power to benefit each other if they worked together. In fact, all 10 of the leading consumer magazines in the U.S. also have an online portion as well. Having both a print and online magazine will not only give your magazine both advantages of the digital world and the print world, but it will also negate the tension and worry that this “print is dying” conversation presents. Although Bedard confessed that he was worried about the future of Flaunt’s print publication during the early 2010s, in recent years he believes the relevance and value of print have repositioned.
Lastly, I’ve learned that there’s a certain admiration that should be held for people who continue to work even when everyone tells them it’s a dying field. These people aren’t here to make money – they’re here because this is what lights them up inside, sparks a fire in their chest, and lets their imaginations run free. They come in each morning with their hearts on their sleeve and leave each night with a bountiful mass of new ideas for the next day to come. This is their life by choice because this is what they believe to be the best, most magical form of creativity and self-expression in the world. Therefore, the next time we pick up a book or a magazine and dream with our eyes wide open, may we remember the passion and tenacity that lives between the pages.