Print isn't dead, but mass print publications are
One of my first "real" jobs was working at The Batavian. The Batavian is unique for many reasons, but one of the original reasons was because it was an online only news publication in a relatively small community in Western New York and it was/is profitable. I learned a lot being there and many thanks go to Howard Owens for being willing to hire a 16 year old. I learned what having a real job meant, how to work with people and respond to emails, and it also taught me a lot about the new age of mass publishing. But more on that in a bit...
I've had the privilege of being raised in a very interesting point in the history of digital and print media. I still remember using cassettes to listen to my favorite radio drama Adventures in Odyssey, I had a decent sized book collection, and I read a book on how to write HTML. Now I can't even imagine buying a physical copy of video game let alone going to the library to find a book.
We're at a point in time when it doesn't make a lot of sense to purchase a physical copy of any type of media. Whether it's music, books, news, instruction manuals, etc. Physical items are usually more expensive, take up more physical space, and I either have to travel to a store to purchase the item or wait for it to arrive in my mailbox.
While all of the above are reasons why I don't buy print or physical copies of media, they are at times, the same reason's why I do buy them.
For instance, a few months ago I purchased the first volume of The Great Discontent. It's a compilation of interviews with creative people who are living and working in our new entrepreneurial inspired world. I have the ability to go and read almost all of these very interviews online for free, but that doesn't mean I don't want to go to the beach and disconnect from my digital world while reading an inspiring story. If I own a print copy I can also enjoy seeing the beautiful full-bleed photos that accompany the interviews. I personally don't feel like viewing photography on a screen quite compares to holding and seeing a print up close and personal, at least not yet.
So back to my original thought. What did I learn at my job about the mass publication industry? 1) If it's in print it's probably out of date. 2) If it's in print it can't be easily updated. 3) Print is too slow.
I think we're living in a world where print can be seen as a separate medium of sorts. It can serve a specific need and specific audience. But I think this now lends itself to more unique and artisanal publications. For text books, news, manuals, or pretty much any mass publications print just isn't efficient, cost effective, or fast enough. And now with our truly portable digital devices (phone/tablets/e-readers/etc) we can consume this content no matter where we are, in smaller time slots, and the audience for these publications is now seemingly unlimited.
Is this a scary world? For me, no. I think this "new world" is exciting. It opens the door for more people to publish whatever they want and for more people then ever before to consume and enjoy that content. And with the cost of these digital devices becoming more affordable people of all ages and incomes no matter their location can consume and enjoy this content and even create the content themselves.
This is one of the reason's why I've decided to start blogging more often. It's an expression of freedom and if no one reads it besides myself that's totally fine. It only cost me some time and a few cents to power the mac mini that I'm typing on.
Long live the freedom to create.
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