After lots of research and hard work I can officially say I have finished my essay! I am proud of this piece of work ad I have enjoyed writing it. What I originally thought the answer would be changed throughout the essay and I can honestly say, I have learnt something new. Here is my essay ready to submit on the 30th April.
Paper versus pixels – A never
ending war
This essay will engage in an argument in relation to
consumer preference between physical printouts and digitally displayed formats
(magazines, books and newspapers) and, if print production has a future or will
redundancy occur with technology developing so fast. It will come to its
conclusion by ‘Stephen Fry’ ‘Joe Queenan’, ‘Craig Mod’, ‘Clayton Christensen’ and
‘Mark
Pitts’, critically analysing and discussing quality and preference, environmental
impacts and cost of production. It is more complex than saying physical print
is better than digital or vice versa, these points will help explore what the different
aspects are and help form a better understanding of the future. Physical printed
and digital magazines both have their pros and cons however, one could take the
premise that digital will take over print production due to technology
developing. This will be a gradual process leading to possible redundancy for
printed publications. Both formats offer different experiences which could have
an impact on sustainability. Some may argue that print is far more reliable in
comparison to digital. However, with the developing world, we are currently
living in the era of technology. However, Stephen Fry has argued that ‘books
are no more threated by kindle than stairs by elevators’ (Goodreads, 2018). This will
conclude that digital and print production could be coexistent rather than at
war of consumer preference.
When discussing quality, it will be defined by the
quality, experience and appearance of the finished product. The quality of both
products is similar but very different. The layout of a digital magazine,
reflects a printed one however, there are added features that make user interaction
on a digital display more interesting. Printed magazines give a nice sensory
experience that people enjoy. The touch, the smell and the feeling of a print
is more satisfying and familiar (Mod, 2012). This is the main thing that
digital magazines are missing, it takes away the quality of the consumers
experience. However, on digital devices the flip effect of turning a page using
User Interface is the closest design to reality of a print. Arguably, digital
magazines have a lot more to offer in comparison. An example of this, is a
digital device (reader) which more information can be found through the use of
hyperlinks and internet access (Boyd,
2012). Joe Queenan, argued that ‘e-books are great
for people who care only about the contents, have vision problems or other
physical limitations’ (Mashable, 2013). This shows
that people may opt for digital for the added beneficial features however, if
they did not have this, the consumer would only purchase printed. On
disagreement, digital is more convenient due to ease of portability and storage
ease of multiple digital magazines, rather than having a large collection of
printed ones. This acknowledges Craig
Mod premise that stated, ‘nostalgia is very quickly replaced with convenience’ (The Verge, 2013).
The quality of the user interaction can be influenced by
User Interface and developing on this further, it could be suggested that the
way consumers use printed publications comes instinctively, naturally and
wholly dependent upon cultural communication (Mod, 2012). Critically this shows,
printouts can be considered predictable and old fashioned, now that technology
has improved. Digital access has taken over society and in a not so long
future, this will become the intuitive and most natural process, leaving the
physical publication behind, becoming alien and redundant. This ideology in
principle could demonstrate that, going back to physical print could be hard to
adapt to (Boyd, 2012). Digitally displayed magazines offer a more complex
navigation in terms of its design however, this can make the experience more
interesting for the consumer. This can lead to the consumer searching deeper
into the magazine via its hyperlinks, retaining more of their attention. On
counter argument, to initially gain consumer attention in order for it to be
retained, physical printed magazine is more likely to draw attention to itself
compared to a digital device. Craig Mod argued, ‘the book cover
evolved as a marketing tool. It had to grab your attention from its place on
the shelf. For that reason, the best designed covers were often beautiful
art pieces. Not so in the digital world’ (Catone, 2013).
Michael Agresta argued that
"Bookshelves will survive in the homes of serious digital-age readers, but
their contents will be much more judiciously curated. The next generation of
paper books will likely rival the art hanging beside them on the walls for
beauty, expense, and 'aura' — for better or for worse" (Agresta, 2013).
This suggests print sales will decline and digital sales will continue to
exceed beyond, and that books will become a collector’s item solely for display
rather than for reading. However, the future cannot
be predicted. Video cassettes (VHS) were replaced by DVD’s however, Blu-ray has
not replaced DVD’s due to the fact it offers a different experience rather than
replacing an inferior one (The Cheat Sheet, 2018). Print and digital offer different
experiences and it cannot be reproduced in the opposing format. Reviews is another aspect that helps draw
attention to a printout. Consumers want to know if what they are subscribing to
or about to purchase is worth the money. Additionally, a beautiful cover design
is not presented as nicely digitally due to the size ratio. On digital formats,
the book cover is shrunk down making the quality less effective. An example of
this is an app called ‘Newsstand’ available for iOS. The covers are not
readable. Craig Mod has argued that ‘No designer looked at those covers in
Newsstand and said: “Perfect! Ship it!”’ (Mod, 2012).
Mass Deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions are two of
the main impacts caused by paper industries and print production. Moving to a
digital format would help environmental issues. Arguably, looking into more
detail reveals that, digital production can affect the environment just as badly
and possibly more. Mike Berners-Lee is
an expert in carbon footprint and the effects on the environment. He claims,
‘you’d have to get through at least a hundred paperbacks before the paper
saving outweighed the embodied emissions of the reader itself’ (Berners-Lee, 2011:76)
. This of course is something to
take into consideration however, reading digitally has multiple advantages
beyond the environment such as carrying a digitally device is more convenient
than carrying a bag full of books. Critically analysing this, if a person were
to read multiple magazines and books on a digital device, then this would be a
better effect on the environment. On the other
hand, Mark Pitts said, "What people often don't realize is that the
paper-making process is sustainable, and claims to the contrary are misleading
to the consumer" (The Guardian, 2014). On
evaluation, due to the digital era being so new, there is still a lot of research
that needs to be done based on the life of a digital device. Furthermore, we need be
aware of the energy needed to run the digital device along with energy used to
power the servers and Wi-Fi connections. Later on, when it comes to recycling
the digital device, there are aspects of the system that cannot be recycled
such as ‘palladium’. Arguably, there is a study by ‘KTH Centre for Sustainable
Communications’ said that ‘reading a web-based paper for 30 minutes every day
has approximately the same environmental impact as reading a physical print’. Critically
this shows that between digital and print, print might be the better option for
environmental impact.
The environmental impact is different for everyone and
based on this research, each format has their benefits and draw backs. Due to
this, the consumer needs to evaluate their reading habits and preferences to
enable an accurate decision on their personal effects on the planet. Further
research is also needed to understand the life-cycle of a digital product and
its effects on the environment. Between the two, digital appears to be more sustainable.
Electronic devise can be used multiple times making it renewable. However,
production of these devices leaves a carbon footprint and the waste is becoming
higher due to growing development of digital devices.
Print production and digital production have different
costs for different aspects. When it comes to a printed job, there is a lot of
processes and aspects that need to be taken into consideration with time and
cost. Printed magazines include stages such as photography, editorial design,
paper, printing, binding, shipping and distribution. All of these aspects cost
money which means print production budget comes from a different source to
digital. Print production gain their funds from magazine sales and adverts. Advertisement
supplies ‘over 95% of the publisher’s income’. Printed
magazines tend to have roughly ‘54%’ of advertisements (Works That Work,
2015). This clearly shows how printed magazine’s
gain their money.
On the other hand, digital production of magazines are
easier than physical for multiple reasons. There is now concerns about physical
delivery and distribution. However, there are cost that you do not need to
worry about if you are doing a physical print such as software, circulation, marketing
and hosting. There are tools available online to make the process of creating a
magazine less time consuming nonetheless, these tools/apps have the potential
to cause quality issues such as freezing. This could lead to consumers not
wanting to view the magazine as it causes frustration. On comparison to printed
magazines, digital production does not include adverts. This alone has an
effect on their income. Overall, this shows that printed magazines cost more
money than digital. This aspect could make consumers opt for the cheaper
alternative (digital) which could lead to a decrees of print sales.
As stated this essay would conclude with an answer to if
print production has a future or will redundancy occur with technology
developing by forming and argument and discussion on quality and preference,
environmental impacts and cost of production. In conclusion printed and digital
have their strengths and weakness if I was to designate a time period for each,
I would claim that printed production is in the past and digital production is
the present. However, after my research throughout this essay my opinion has
changed. The research produced for this essay shows not what I expected at
first, I believed digital production would take over print production causing
redundancy for the industry. However, print production seems to be more
trustworthy, less expensive and more convenient meaning consumers are unable to
do further research while reading. It also seems to not be as bad for the
environment as first believed. On the other hand, positive findings on printed
outweigh the positives of digital which are flexibility, more accessible and
allows the consumer to access more information. On the downside, digital
devices can be expensive and untrustworthy. Both formats offer a different
experience for the consumer, neither can quite replace the other meaning both
formats are needed. At this present time print production is not going anywhere
and neither is digital due to this, coexistence has already been established
between the two deliverables, similar to DVD’s and Blu-ray Discs. Print
publication is for people who love prints and digital production is for those
who love digital formats. Both offer different experiences, both of them have a
future.
Bibliography:
·
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(2013).
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