Article translated by Owen Huchon — Original version, written by Julian Novitz, published on The Conversation on January 9, 2024.
In the classic comedy Ghostbusters (1984), Janice, a newly hired secretary, brings up the subject of reading while flipping through the pages of a magazine. The character Egon Spengler (scientist) then curtly retorts to her: « print is dead ».
Egon's words seem prescient today. The prevailing hypothesis for the past twenty years has been that print media is slowly being strangled by the rise of digital. Printed magazines in particular are often seen as threatened. While they are no longer as popular as they once were, they are not dead. New titles have emerged since the start of alarming predictions, while others continue to attract loyal readers. So what is this unchanging charm that characterizes the printed magazine? Why hasn't it died, as so many had predicted?
Printed words in an online world
The word "magazine" comes from a term designating a warehouse or store. Essentially, it is any publication that brings together different types of writing for readers. Each issue includes a range of voices, subjects, and perspectives. The culture of print magazines has certainly declined since its heyday in the twentieth century. Once highly popular magazines have been entirely moved online or are largely supported by growing digital subscriptions. Elsewhere, online media sites, such as Buzzfeed and similar outlets, increasingly meet the need for short, diverse, and entertaining writing. The explosion of social media has also cut into the advertising market that print magazines traditionally relied on.
Internet users have come to expect new content to be released every day, even every hour. Occasional readers are less inclined to wait for a weekly or monthly printed magazine to arrive by mail or become available at a newsstand. The immediate availability of "free" digital content, or significantly cheaper content, may discourage them from subscribing to print publications or buying individual issues.
From screen to paper
Yet magazines refuse to die. Historic publications, like the New Yorker and Vogue, stubbornly hold on to a global readership, in both print and digital formats. New titles are also emerging — in 2021, 122 new print magazines were launched in the United States alone. This figure is lower than in previous years, which may indicate a broader shrinking of the print media market. But given prevailing assumptions, it's worth noting that new publications have come into existence. In Australia, print magazine sales increased by 4.1% in 2023, and previously abandoned publications, such as Girlfriend, are now experiencing a nostalgic comeback on the print market.
The market for printed magazines is not exactly thriving. But they didn't disappear as quickly as predicted. Some commentators have attributed this persistent appeal of magazines to the physical reading experience. We absorb information differently when it's on paper, perhaps in a less frantic and less distracting way. The digital fatigue from years of pandemic has also likely driven a slight return to printed media. The renewed interest in printed magazines has also been attributed to vintage appeal (for example film photography or vinyl) among Gen Z readers.
As writer Hope Corrigan has noted, the aesthetics of magazines do indeed hold a certain appeal. The care taken with layout, images, and text cannot always be replicated on screen. In fact, magazines that emphasize photography and visual design — such as fashion and travel magazines — are still printed. Samir Husni, a magazine expert, observed that new independent print magazines increasingly target niche readerships. Advances in printing technology have made small print runs more profitable. This allows new magazines to prioritize quality over quantity. The new generation of print magazines tends to have higher cover prices and better production quality. They are also published less frequently, with quarterly or semi-annual schedules becoming increasingly common.
What was old is cool again?
This upmarket shift in print magazines breaks with the idea that they are cheap and disposable. Instead, it is a luxury product. Printed magazines cannot compete with digital media when it comes to delivering constantly updated content to a wide audience. However, they can potentially retain a loyal readership through relevant and aesthetically pleasing publishing.
This means printed magazines can be spared from certain constraints faced by online media that rely solely on advertising revenue. In recent years, we have witnessed staff reshuffles, mass resignations, and closures of popular websites that adopted the editorial codes and aesthetics of magazines, such as Deadspin, The Onion AV Club, The Escapist and Jezebel (though the latter has since returned). The vision and initial quality standards of these outlets undoubtedly suffered from the constant drive to increase daily traffic and reduce costs.
Magazines could also see a resurgence of interest from advertisers. Recent studies indicate a strong consumer preference for printed advertising. Readers are much more likely to pay attention to a printed ad and trust its message. By contrast, online advertising is more likely to be ignored or rejected.
In a 2021 portrait of Steven Lomazow, a magazine collector, Nathan Heller writes:
While the reach and influence of print magazines have declined, they are not necessarily dead, or even dying. They can be considered to occupy a smaller, but more enduring, place in the media landscape.
