Is print actually dead?

Print is defiantly not as common as it once was. Many publications have moved online, and for years print has been a dying medium. However, I know people who still buy and read magazines, get their daily paper and read books. It may not be the most popular way to get your news anymore, but I can’t imagine it ever being truly gone.

I don’t think anyone is wishing it gone, either. When you go into a newsagents or WHSmith’s the magazine rack is overflowing with all kinds of publications. I think were print truly dead, the section would not dominate almost the whole shop. People are still buying and reading newspapers and magazines — there is just something about holding something physical and reading it that cannot be emulated by any screen or app.

<a href=”https://www.statista.com/statistics/286210/online-news-newspapers-and-magazine-consumption-in-great-britain/" rel=”nofollow”><img src=”https://www.statista.com/graphic/1/286210/online-news-newspapers-and-magazine-consumption-in-great-britain.jpg" alt=”Statistic: Share of individuals reading or downloading online news, newspapers or magazines in Great Britain from 2007 to 2018 | Statista” style=”width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width:1000px;-ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic;”/></a><br />Find more statistics at <a href=”https://www.statista.com" rel=”nofollow”>Statista</a>

Yes, the percentage of Britain reading online news is increasing. In 2018 it was 69%, compared to 34% in 2008, just 10 years before. This is probably for a number of reasons: price, conveineice, variety. However, I also imagine there is a part of this that is because many publications have moved online. In 2016, The Independent moved to an online-only format. At the time, Evgeny Lebedev, owner of the Independent, said that the changes had been driven my the readers. “They are showing us that the future is digital.” He was defiantly right, and many other newspapers began investing more time in their digital content.

I conducted my own search on Twitter, and those who answered seem to be a fan of print..

Despite the Independent’s success, I find it hard to imagine that the sight of a newspaper or a magazine will ever disappear. I cannot imagine ever getting on a train and not having to move a METRO from my seat, or the magazine stand disappearing in WHSmith’s. I don’t think that is me being close-minded or un-open to change; I think it’s an unlikely future. Independent magazines and zines are being created by many young people wishing to keep print alive. People are buying the content and supporting brands, people and businesses that they love. That’s important to people! I think as long as something is being created that people want to invest in, the idea of it disappearing altogether is a very distant reality. One that I cannot imagine.