The Legitimate Battle of Digital Space: Print Media vs Digital Media.

The digital transformation has swept the publishing industry off the floor. The emergence of E-books, Audiobooks, and Online news lead to a slow death of print media. And, we are here to see if print media can stay longer in the content game or if will it become history. The majority falls in the favour of digital transformation and most people agree that print media is not a part of their lives anymore.

This statement depicts the ever-changing consumer behavior, where Gen-z is the new-age consumer. Their urge to get instant access to global content all the time is daunting, to say the least. Whereas, the whopping growth of mobiles and AI has reshaped how content is created and consumed around the globe. And, not to forget the affordability of the internet, allowing tremendous numbers of consumers to cherish their favorite content.

These changes are affecting the media from the roots and have left the whole industry shattered.

Reports depict that 97% of media companies surveyed believe that digital transformation changed the media sector forever. On the bright side, they also stated that 44% of media companies find digital transformation a soaring success.

And, to make the most of this disruption, media companies should not see digital transformation as a threat but as an opportunity for growth. Merging content with high-quality UX, with a touch of customization, and keeping the feed relevant can do all the tricks.

But here the real question arises: The Print is really dying?

The rapid rise of digital got many of us making tall claims that print is on the deathbed. But to burst this bubble, no it’s not. Be it the nostalgia for millennials or the happiness of offline readers. Print media will always have its startling charm.

But on contrary to the print media’s reliability, it lacks technology and innovation, and as a shock to the print media Digital is a big-time expert in this space.

Coming to choosing the best from both, we have to keep digging for a bit.

Is it always Digital over Print?

Well, in a word, yes. A majority of consumers are saying yes to digital media due to the ease it provides compared to print media. The seamless accessibility and big distribution of content over the internet are one of the interactive features of digital media. Online content forms are easily converted to any online publication with added links, photos, and videos and are 4x more engaging.

Digital advertising is 30% cost-efficient and 55% less work and manpower compared to print.

To make the picture more defined and clear, here are the early and long-term impactful pros of digital media.

i) Higher reachability to a larger audience

Create everlasting content that is available to billions of people in one go. You can also change the content formats to text, voice, video, or a social post for effective interactions.

ii) Improved UX increased engagement

Digital Media allows you to deliver a meaningful UX with relevant content about your brand and product by saving big money and cutting off the hassles of print media.

iii) Generate higher ROI and conversion rates

Digital media has accelerated the ROI via subscriptions and building website traffic. The more traffic, the better conversion rates, and the higher ROI. Digital media achieves bigger ROI in a few months, unlike print which takes ample years.

iv) A sustainable & Environmental friendly alternative

Imagine every office using only paper for their operations, and we can’t even estimate the absurd amount of trees we had to cut down. It takes 20 years to grow a tree, and if we don’t go digital it’s fully cut, made into paper, used, and discarded in a few months. But by going online, we can save millions of trees and preserve nature.

Conclusion

Well, it’s safe to say that digital is no substitution, but rather a powerful addition to the content industry. Print media is a big-time content publisher and stayed for decades. But digital has overtaken print in just a few years and this screams the extreme potential of digital media.

Digital media will always innovate for the new possibilities of interactive user experience. While print media will never lose its charm, and the touch of nostalgia amongst its users.

This discussion of which is the best can go on and on because the print is not entirely over and nothing can stop us from becoming more digital.