Monday, February 14, 2011

How will the print industry survive? What is the impact of demassification?

The print industry is slowly being used less and less. According to The Media of Mass Communication the circulation of newspapers peaked at 62.8 million in 1988, but by the year 2007 it had dropped to just 50.7 million. With the Internet becoming a more reliable source, many people have shifted to browsing the web for information rather than waiting for a monthly magazine. Also as more and more people work nine to five jobs, the time to read the paper in the morning or evening is taken over by how simple it is to turn the television on and watch the news. These major shifts in circulation have created massive amounts of job loss in the print industry. In order to maintain the company many print industries are turning to the web and demassification.

The effects of demassification has kept many companies afloat. As more and more magazines concentrate on a specific group the number of home subscriptions has been sufficient for survival. As the cartoon in The Media of Mass Communication (100.) explains, there is not as much money in printed materials designed for the majority but by advertising to specific groups, companies can present the information relevant to the group and also maintain the profits from advertisers trying to reach a certain group of people. As this trend continues the days of printed materials are dwindling. Electronics and Internet are taking over, but the print industry isn't going down without a fight.

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