Dylan Immel
Mr. Reuter
B4 Economics
14 May 2015
Printed Media vs Digital Media
Now that technology is so advanced and our computers, phones, and other electronic devices are constantly giving us internet access, digital media is on the rise. Most, if not all of our favorite newspapers, magazines, books, and so many other publications are available online as well as in physical printed form. This has given way to debates over which type of media is better, and whether printed media should continue to be available at all. There are economic benefits that come with publishing content digitally, but printed media has been around for hundreds of years and is still preferred by most people. Can both formats coexist?
The above infographic gives some insight to the pros and cons of printed media and digital media. Obviously, printed media gives the convenience of a physical copy that you can hold in your hands and is always available. Digital media takes up little to no space and can be easily changed. Aside from these simple differences are the economic aspects of the formats. With printed media, each copy of the product needs to be individually printed, and once a copy has been published, it cannot be changed without manual maintenance. This drives up production costs to the publisher and, in the end, costs to the consumer. In addition, printed media uses up much more scarce resources in production (wood to make paper, ink to print with, etc.) and in distribution (storage, delivery, etc.). The opportunity cost of using printed media is increased production costs.
With digital media, there is very little cost to produce the final product, and it can be done quickly and easily whilst using few resources. The most expensive cost of digital media is without a doubt the technology used to make it, but this is for the most part a one-time cost that may need a few updates from time to time, unlike the constant need for paper and ink that comes with printed media. Distribution of printed media is far simpler as well, it takes just a few steps on a computer and the content is made available to everyone. However, not everyone can afford or is familiar with the technology that is used to view digital media, and it can be frustrating when the tech has issues with internet connectivity or other problems. Thus, the opportunity cost of digital media is familiarity and availability.
According to this 2012 survey of Americans who read newspapers through various formats, 60% of people still read the news exclusively through printed, physical papers. Clearly, most of us want printed media to stay. What’s not to like about having a real book or magazine and being able to hold it, page through it, and admire the artwork? Using a tablet or eBook just feels fake. Although printed media may have an overall bigger cost to both producers and consumers, it’s something that has been here for too long to just give up all at once.
Works Cited
Harkaway, Nick. "Paper vs Digital Reading Is an Exhausted Debate." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 12 May 2015.
Ingram, Matthew. "It’s Not Just about Print vs. Digital Media — It’s about Culture." Gigaom. Gigaom, Inc, 24 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 May 2015.
I completely understand the want for printed materials like textbooks and books. In case the internet or computer suddenly refuses to work, it's a nice way to still be able to read or do homework. Even though the cost to produce so many books, etc. may be higher than a digital version, the easy accessibility to the material won't ever go away. While digital media might be dependent on the device's battery and/or the internet. This is probably why so many still prefer printed materials to digital ones.
ReplyDeleteI feel that a healthy use of both is the most viable option. I find that with a kindle or similar reading device, I would actually read more because I would have access to any book without the cost of carrying all of the books around. However, I find that a physical copy creates a better reading experience. Also, physical copies can be accessed at any time while digital copies could be denied because of internet failures or low battery levels.
ReplyDeletePersonally I favor electronic versions of almost all types of media, and I think that while most of the population doesn't right now, they will soon. There are so many trade-offs associated with digital media, such as the ability to take it with you wherever you go, and you can’t accidentally forget it somewhere like you could with paper copies, because you can always access it online. It also makes it much easier to receive new media, because instead of having to grab the newspaper from outside or manually change billboards, it’s a simple push of a button. We are moving more and more to a world full of technology without even realizing it, and soon we will see the majority of our media on ever-changing digital screens.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is interesting because it makes you think about where the print industry is going. Do you think that in 50 years people will still be reading a printed paper? The answer seems more likely than not to be no, our generation will definitely not have a problem with everything being online. The print industry is going to be slowly declining as of now after people realize the benefits of online news.
ReplyDeleteI have always preferred physical copies of items over digital. When reading on my phone I can never feel as comfortable. Most people prefer reading on phones because you can store so many books with you and easily download the next book in a series with out having to move. It adds to the motto of Americans "how can I avoid doing work." I am no different I love technology and being lazy, but some things to me need to stay old fashion books are one of these things.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a really good question, about whether mobile or physical form is better. It's interesting to see the data regarding people's preferences, and that 60% actually prefer physical forms of news. The one question I have is whether it's more profitable for physical or electronic. I wonder how news will be delivered in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think in 30 years digital copies will take over. Physical copies are only used often because generations above us aren't familiar with technology. Once their time is up and new generations start to come up more people will be used to digital copies and physical copies will hardly be known. This is a long way away though so no changes will happen soon.
ReplyDeleteIt depends for the news i prefer to watch tv, but for magazines i prefer a paper copy. It surprises me that 60% of people prefer a physical form of media.
ReplyDeleteIts so weird, because I went to the post office just yesterday and it made me think about just this. Everything is online now and we don't need to ship out physical copies of our mail anymore. I thought about how I haven't been to the post office in so long because if I need something, I just email or text the person what I need to tell them. But it never occurred to me that this also has an economical effect. I personally think that technology is helping us in this day and age and the economic impact tells us that it is in fact improving our lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree, paper is becoming too much work, especially with scarce resources. For me, everything has to be 100% perfect for papers and such. It helps me when things are online because I don’t have to worry about being unreasonably annoyed with rips or awkward creases or uneven marks on paper. I would rather do something typed where if I mess up I can just retype it, where on paper, I either have to erase and erase and erase, or if it’s pen, I’m screwed and have to get a new paper. I would definitely choose digital over paper.
ReplyDeleteI think that having both digital and physical media available is the best option. People can just choose which they prefer. Like you said, it is nice to physically have a book in your hands and turn the pages. With digital media, there are some limitations. What if you don’t have a cell phone or a computer to look at it? This puts some people at a huge disadvantage because they can’t access some digital media.
ReplyDeleteTo me it is important to keep print media as technology is not always a reliable thing. There are places where technology just won't work so being able to use a hard copy of something should always be available. There are also people who are against or just don’t like technology so print media is all that they use. So I don’t think it is necessary to move all news and other media sources to an online source as it would be more beneficial economically for the companies to keep both but maybe just print less copies of their products.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is apparent that digital media is far more efficient in this day and age as apposed to print making, I still feel as though print media deserves a continued place in the future. Digital media does posses flaws such as being stored on an electronic database which if whipped could remove that media potentially forever, were as print media one simply has to worry about physical or environmental damage which may occur to the media over time. By no means am I saying we should choose one over the other, but I'm simply stating that both deserve their respective places in the future as both forms of media contract the flaws of the other thus their continued existence together is beneficial towards their continued usage in our society.
ReplyDeleteTo me, both printed and digital media are important. There are advantages and disadvantages associated with each. For example, while a digital copy of something may be convenient, there is a possibility that the technology might not work correctly. Based on the pros and cons, people could pick between the two and choose whatever they prefer.
ReplyDelete