Do tangible publications still hold their relevance in the digital world of the 21st Century ?
Since the first book was printed upon the Gutenberg press in 1456, printing has been the main form of publishing. This traditional industry developed but remained unchallenged up until the age of information and the birth of the internet. A more recent challenge to the physical publication is the emergence of digital publishing. In recent years there have been countless examples of the media industries adapting to advances in digital technology. For example in the music industry the transition from the vinyl record to the cassette then the cd and most recently digital downloads (the mp3). The question is will printed publications such as magazines and books become digital and therefore the physical printed or analogue forms deemed obsolete ?
The purpose of this essay is to analyse how digital publishing has affected its printed predecessor within the magazine industry using Wired UK as an example. To achieve this I will divide the debate into three subtopics and analyse each one accordingly; Firstly how the magazine industry is adapting to the digital era. Secondly, whether digital or printed publication holds the advantage to it 's readers, and finally if digital will replace the printed publication. Wired UK is a monthly magazine which launched in April 2009 about new and developing technology. It is an extension from the american version which launched in 1993. The websiteWired.co.uk runs alongside the magazine and publishes similar and related content. Both the American and UK versions are owned by the publishing company Conde Nast who also own Vogue, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.
How is the magazine industry adapting to the digital era ?
"For magazines, the original mobile media, the rise of tablet computing has opened up an incredibly exciting new path"(Barry McIlheney,The Guardian,2013)
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References: Barry McIlheney, The Guardian (2013) Magazine readership: ABCs now measure mobile audience. [online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/feb/14/measuring-magazine-readership-abcs. Benjamin, W. (1936) The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. p.2. Cordelia Nelson, YouGov (2013) Tablets spur news consumption. [online] Available at: http://yougov.co.uk/news/ 2013/01/29/tablets-spur-news-consumption/. Josh Catone, Mashable.com (2013) e-books-vs-print. [online] Available at: http://mashable.com/2013/01/16/e-books-vs- print/. Lewin, K. (1947) Frontiers in group dynamics: concept, method and reality in social science; social equilibria and social change.. p.34, 35. Mark Hooper,The Guardian (2012) Who says print is dead?. [online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/ jun/03/who-says-print-is-dead. TabTimes (2012) Image of Wired App on iPad. [image online] Available at: http://tabtimes.com/news/media/2012/02/22/ cond-nast-banking-liquid-layout-tools-broader-tablet-publishing. The Guardian (2011) Image of the Apple Newsstand. [image online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/ pda/2011/jun/07/apple-newsstand.