Internet has been big for almost two decades now. While this new medium has impacted the magazine industry in some ways, the perseverance and popularity of magazines suggests that they still hold an important place in our society.
Electronic media make everything more readily available. Right now, I am looking at www.readersdigest.com and finding all sorts of current and applicable articles. The development of the internet might intuitively seem like an antagonist to magazine sales. The two seem to compete with eachother. In some ways, they may. Those unwilling to pay for magazines can get their information from online sources. But in other ways, the internet has helped the magazine cause. Subscribing to a magazine is now easier than ever: all you need to do you can do online in a matter of minutes. Advertising is also facilitated. Magazines can place ads anywhere on the internet to attract subscribers.
It is my opinion (and I dare say a verifiable one) that the internet will not drive magazines out of business. In high school, many of my teachers subscribed to magazines. I have a few theories as to why they are preferred:
1. The internet has a lot of information, and a lot of false information. People trust what they read in print more than they trust what they read in cyberspace.
2. There is something nice about having a tangible medium. I love holding magazines and looking at their glossy pages. Who doesn't?
3. Some magazines don't publish the same information online as they do in their publications. There were new and unique articles online at www.readersdigest.com, different from those published in the magazine. To get the good stuff, people have to subscribe.
The internet isn't changing much these days, apart from spreading in influence. I do not see it changing much in the future. A good friend of mine says, "laziness is the mother of invention."
What could change about the internet that would make it easier to use? It is so efficient, quick, and easy!! If the internet does not change, there is no reason it's current effect on magazines should change. Magazines will always be important to our society.
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