Will the print industry survive? What is the impact of demassification?

It is hard to say. The Internet has raised the bar for instant gratification, especially when you can access to many things at the touch of your fingertips, and typically for free. We can get our news and necessary information instantly, why wait for it? But then there is the sheer novelty of the ‘newspaper’; would we want to give that up? Granted when I want quick news I jump right on to the information highway, but what about the calming enjoyment of flipping the glossy pages of a magazine as we fill our head with fashions or anything of interest? Are we okay with giving that up? Unfortunately it is likely as generations turn over, loyalty will no longer be towards the printing press. Certainly for companies it is becoming much easier to put information on the web. It is extremely low cost and it’s not messy. Demassification is what has been keeping printing companies afloat because it gives the illusion of personalization. On the Internet we have a homepage where we carefully select the news we want and get our local weather and mail all in the same place. By demassifying and focusing on certain interests, it makes the consumer feel like they are being cared about. It is as if they are sitting right in there in Martha’s white-washed kitchen as she explains how to make the most darling Christmas cookies that will both awe the children and make the neighbors jealous. Will the print industry survive? It depends on how much our generation cares about the classics vs. the most expedient way.