Larry D. Lauer

Some media experts argue that print cannot survive the digital revolution. They point out that books are too cumbersome and print in general is not efficient enough. They argue that new media does everything print can do, and with much more speed and efficiency. Why would anyone want to take the time to produce clumsy printed materials?

There are several reasons to challenge this argument:

1. In the entire history of communication no medium has ever gone completely away.

2. When a new medium becomes dominant, the other media platforms just change roles.

3. These new roles usually are based on their inherent strengths. And print has at least two inherent strengths.

First, print is effective for delivering clarity, structure, logic and brevity. These characteristics have already influenced the development of a concise and structured writing style for maximum effectiveness on the Internet.

Second, printed materials can be held in your hand and can function as a tangible and lasting symbol of a program or institution. Brochures, pamphlets, flyers, etc. will therefore continue to occupy an important place in the total mix of media options. When used properly they “physically” display an institution’s differentiating identity and competitive advantage. They have a long “shelf life” and reinforce credibility through their permanence.

The tangible and more permanent nature of print encourages day-to-day journalists to find time to write books. Even reporters who write for digital media outlets write printed books in order to advance their visibility and reputation. The permanent nature of printed books establishes authors as experts.

In fact, many people who abandoned books are reconsidering their decision. They have rediscovered that curling up in the corner with a “real” book allows them to escape into a private world of their own. Somehow new media experiences are not quite the same. This is especially true for lovers of fiction and poetry.

For readers of nonfiction a printed book can seem easier to work through, to underline, and to flip pages back and forth in order to reread portions. Admittedly all of this is possible with e-books. Even so, many readers have found e-books to be more cumbersome.

Increasing numbers of readers are also admitting they download the electronic version and if they like it they also buy the real book. If true, this is unanticipated good news for the publishing industry!

So is print going away? I think not. Rather it will be fine-tuned around its strengths and become a more precisely defined tool in an ever-expanding media toolbox.