The Future of Print and Digital Media

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Recommended: Decline of print media question

As the publishing industry is on the verge of collapse and NOOK sales jump, I as a book self-professed bibliophile cry myself to sleep. The future of printed media is inevitably becoming digital. Everybody knows this, but I still cling to my print media conventions. I try to convince myself that it is somehow better, and I hold on with the dire grip of preemptive nostalgia. Jack Schafer, the former editor to the online magazine “Slate”, shares my nostalgic view of printed media. In his article titled, “Print vs. Online: The ways in which old-fashioned newspapers still trump online newspapers”, he explains how he cancelled his subscription to the New York Times and replaced it with the online version of the newspaper. In less than a year after his cancelation of the Times he reinstated his subscription to the printed form.

Rhetorical Situation

This article was published within the Media Criticism section of Slate online magazine. The articles genre could be classified as a media analysis article and an opinion editorial, since it was specifically placed under the criticism section. Also, its subtitle “The ways in which old-fashioned newspapers still trump online newspapers,” suggests that it will be reporting on the weaknesses of online newspapers. Due to this article’s placement in the Media criticism section and its title, Schafer’s primary purpose seems to be to inform his audience of how print media is significantly different then online media, and the current trend of news consumers preferring online articles. He informs the reader of the general conditions and changes that are occurring in news delivery, and notes the relationship between delivery method and memory retention. Shafer quotes Bill Hills essay, “The Magic of...

... middle of paper ...

...y shelves are destined to be testaments to another era, like the typewriter, the electric fan, and land line telephones. Records were exchanged for cassette tapes, cassette tapes tossed for CDs, CDs for digital sound files. The progression of media quickly gets lighter, faster, more portable, better as time goes on. Next up on the chopping block is the paper book, the magazine, and, especially, the newspaper. The endless momentum of progress moves on.

Works Cited

Santana, A., Livingstone, R., & Cho, Y. (2011). Medium Matters:Newsreaders’ Recall and Engagement with Online and Print Newspapers. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. St. Louis: University of Oregon.

Shafer, J. (2011, August Friday). Print vs Online: The ways in which old-fashioned newspapers still trump online newspapers. Slate, p. www.slate.com/id/2302014/pagenum/all/.

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