Has social media killed print?

[Helen Dunnett]

I checked my postbox tonight, after returning home from IABC's latest social media event in Brussels, and got that wonderful zing feeling when I saw a small padded envelop waiting for me. I didn't know what was inside, but it's always a pleasure to get a parcel in the post.

Ah! Of course, it's the arrival of my latest wierd photo that I've turned into a postcard via NetPrint, an online printer. It's a developing fad of mine to create printed postcards from my latest favourite digital photo, which I then post to friends and family, instead of buying or using the freebies you find in pubs. Call me sad, but it gives me such a kick to print my own.

Flipping back to the IABC event, someone asked the panelists, "Is print dead?" There was an array of yes, not yet, maybe and never answers from the panelists, which were all valid responses, but I had to smile tonight when admiring my new postcards. "Long Live Print!" Thanks to innovation, free software and new business models, I have found a new avenue to self expression through print which I can post to friends and family. (By the way, I order my stamps online.)

So is print dead? Nah! Its just being challenged by modern alternatives and being forced to undergo a personality change which is good. They said TV would kill radio but it's come back and is more vibrant than ever and is using social media tools, like iTunes, to reach a wider audience that the radio waves can't reach. Is the telephone dead...? etc. Please can we stop these kind of questions? Stuff gets phased out when it really becomes irrelevant, like writing with a feather, and that's good.

Blog: Learning Curve

[Gavin Whitmore]

In related news Google's plans to publish books online have taken another blow http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8264544.stm but it is not difficult to see where things are headed. I am sure that in the future we will all be reading pixels and not print - although I don't think this will be any time soon.

Print has it's place, I uphold books as beautiful things - reading for me is all about print, not pixels. It is going to take a lot to convince me to replace paper with an e-book.

On the other hand, the internet and electronic media has given the delveloped world an alernative to print and paper - a socialy responsible alternative that really should be replacing much of the paper communication that is unfortunately still a part of our daily lives.

I don't want to see print disappear, but I would like to see a responsible evolution of this form of media.

[Hugh Barton-Smith]

This discussion has got me wondering about how I use paper. 

I still buy books, but not often.  I started reading ebooks 7 years ago on a Palm - mainly because it allowed me to enjoy a book with the lights off (wife likes to sleep early)! A few years back I moved on to audiobooks, and am addicted to the advantage of carrying weightless tomes. Now I read virtually all my news online, though I still take the Economist on paper.

Perhaps I'm a bit mad, but I even proof read Phil's book on the iPhone - yep all 64 pages.
 
I used to work in direct marketing, so I hate junk mail. I try to take all my bills online. I hardly ever use my printer at home and rarely print up photos.  

Paper doesn't link well, duplication involves more dead trees and fighting with photocopiers. It isn't searchable and takes ages to file, let alone refile or shift around.  

BUT I still rely on paper for interacting with text: note taking, correcting kids' homework (and enjoying their scribbles) and, less importantly, for work - I'm marking up printouts  rather than PDFs, though the latter are easier to share.

ALSO paper has yet to be surpassed for presentation, whether in posters or handouts. Electronic display is still prohibitively expensive and paper is the only technology with no compatibility issues.

AND, just as digital is great over distance, analogue wins out in proximity. I find a touchscreen changes the way I relate to electronic media, but paper is still essentially more people-friendly.    

Also it's probably not a good idea to try killing a mosquito with a Kindle.

[Gerry Murray]

I won't comment on the quality of questions last night. However, this is only the beginning of longer-term process. And, things will only get better. Another face-to-face is in the planning. Hugh?

Although, I have to say that I started blogging and podcasting about this in 2005 when I became President of IABC. I even used to bring up the web and social media at networking cocktails. But, it was like I was talking about UFOs. On the other hand, maybe I shouldn't have named the blog "The Captain's Log"!!!? :-)

Great that some of the discussion from last night has continued online and generated some superb insights. Now, maybe we can ask those better questions on this forum... The event can live for as long as we want it to.

[Cynthia Wee]

Hi Helen, I just posted on the same subject. :) I'm happy to see that a social media enthusiast such as yourself feels that Print has its place.

Your comment on the last para suddenly brought the tune of "Video killed the radio star" to my mind ... ironically, videos has evolved and radio still stays. :)

[Aurelie Valtat]

I actually hate reading on-screen for longer texts, and wouldn't imagine reading an e-book, except if the technology behind flat screen gets much much better in the near future.

I fully agree with Caroline that "each medium has its place and its purpose", and I would define that of print as quality vs. speed. The Internet doesn't leave my brains at rest so I can think and ponder - too much distraction.

It's great to be able to continue the discussion online, though I am disappointed not to have been able to stay for after the discussions - face to face vs. online does make a difference.

[Helen Dunnett]

Great comments ya'll! In fact Caroline de Bie and I discussed this at length by phone tonight too. We also were a tad disappointed at some of the questions raised by the audience. So I think Caro is going to blog about that in the near future, or will bring our chat and viewpoints online... is that OK you with C?

[Mathew Lowry]

Actually, free metro newspapers are closing down regularly with the dearth of advertising - Murdoch closed his in London a week or so ago, for ex. While few will mourn their passing, it's a symptom of a wider trend which has claimed major names recently in the States. I think I read somewhere that more newspapers have gone down this year, which is far from over, than in most decades.

Books are a different matter entirely, thank goodness. Which probably explains why most of the top bloggers and analysts in social media are actually publishing them in increasing numbers. How ironic is that? Ignoring Free, of course.

And I hope everyone recognised the above paragraph as nothing more than a shameless plug for the Social Media reading circle, which will soon have it's Very Own Huddle (thanks, Hugh!).

[Magdalena Wawrzonkowska]

The question is rather if the internet killed the print?

Although the quality of some of the last edited world bestsellers leave a lot to be desired, I believe we can all agree on the steadfast position of books. People come back to reading books recently as it's relaxing, entertaining, imaginative and what is more...you can avoid ever-present commercials!

But I do agree that newspapers have a real problem. How can they oppose the speed of news published on the net? Anyway, I think that Caroline said a true sentence here, every medium has its place and newspapers will have to find theirs sooner or later. For the time being, they have a loyal audience in most of those who go to work by public transport. Going every morning by metro it's almost impossible to believe that the newspapers are heading towards the decline!

I couldn't attend the event yesterday, but I see that the discussion evolved in an interesting way. Maybe the attendees could follow some of the discussions here?

[Caroline De Bie]

I completely agree: As long as there is a written word, there will be a need to print it in some way. To paraphrase Jim Louderback from Revision 3 in a similar discussion: printed media (and print advertising) will remain relevant in some very targeted audiences.
Journalists will have to find a way to bring the "added value" to their reports that goes beyond reporting the facts - I see journalism evolving into more research-heavy reports.
Many thought radio would die with the advent of television - yet it's still around decades later. Each medium has its place and its purpose - it's up to us as communicators to figure it out and use them wisely.
Thanks for the post Helen!

[Mathew Lowry]

TV didn't kill cinema, but it did shake it up. Print is alive as a communications medium and will stay that way. We have an excellent Art Director and he's not looking worried.

But journalism is on the rocks, and that's a tragedy. Newspapers are closing everywhere. While everyone has long known that the demise of printed classified advertising would destroy their cashflow, what I found interesting recently (via For Immediate Release, in fact), was that the total spend on advertising online is 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than it was on print advertising, pre-Internet.

So the pie went online and shrunk. That whimper you heard was quality journalism's digital business model dying. It gets worse. The only guy with a plan to save it is called Murdoch.