Print vs. online – who will rule in 10 years?
Marketing
Posted 25 Oct 2022
In today’s world, thanks to the Internet, we are globally networked with everything and everyone in a matter of seconds. But for a long time, printed media were mainly used to transmit information. Due to constant change and rapidly increasing digitalization, online media are also gaining in popularity and becoming more present in the media landscape, so where do we stand with a print medium like the newspaper, which has hardly changed its principles since its beginnings? What development can we expect here in the long term?
The head-to-head race between the two ways of procuring information is more topical than ever. Print media have been with us for a long time and are an integral part of our everyday lives and our information culture, but now they are facing increasing competition from the online version. Not least due to the ongoing Corona pandemic, the demand for online media is continuously increasing. They provided up-to-date news and users thus learned more about the Corona pandemic. In addition, many people used electrical devices as a pastime during the lockdown. Everyone has their favorites, and opinions differ, since there are both advantages and decisive disadvantages to both variants. Therefore, no way leads past the question, which variant is now the more efficient and which variant in 10 years, the other perhaps overtakes?
After Johannes Gutenberg initiated the history of printing in the 15th century, print media continued to develop and change until they finally looked the way we know them today. These include, above all, newspapers, advertising brochures, posters, and catalogs. Not without reason, printed media have long been considered an essential part of the advertising world.
They have several advantages, for example, many users say that printed copies are more accessible and that it is easier for them to return to them later. Meanwhile, other readers say that online, the articles usually take longer to find. In addition, most respondents are already used to the printed version, having grown up with print media. For this reason, some tend to be skeptical about the new media. However, it is important to move with the times, and in fact a closer look reveals that print media are not necessarily environmentally friendly. Every fifth tree cut down is used for the newspaper industry, a very high and long-term burden on the environment. Another disadvantage is that both the production and distribution of printed copies require more effort than their digital counterparts. The high additional expenditure results in costs that the publisher has to bear and pass on to the reader.
Just like print media, online media also have advantages and disadvantages that should not be ignored. In 1994, the first media went online and have since won the hearts of several users. This includes not only online newspapers, but also banners, pop-ups, and social networks.
Digital media are more fast-moving and therefore more up to date than, for example, a printed newspaper that is only available once a week. Online, the writer, has a faster opportunity to reach many people. Likewise, articles are published in a fraction of the time and can be read by interested people. This means, the Internet takes over the work of distribution, like an online mailman.
However, a crucial disadvantage is that not every user owns an electrical medium (e.g., cell phone, tablet, laptop) and thus does not have access to the online media. Therefore, not every target group can be included and addressed. In any case, many readers report that they feel overwhelmed, not only by the operation of the devices, but also by the amount of information, while print media are used to and easy to use.
It is therefore also clear that there are two sides to the medal of online media.
As in many areas of the PR world, there are also differences of opinion – because both variants have both advantages and disadvantages. That’s why a study was conducted in Hamburg back in 2018, asking participants of all ages if they thought print media would be “dead” in 10 years. (only in German) In the process, 34% of respondents said they thought this was true. The majority, however, voted against this with 42% and believe in the long-term existence of print media.
It is noticeable that these figures are not far apart, which is why no clear-cut determination is possible here either. Based on this study, it can be concluded that there is no general and “right” answer as to which media are better or more efficient. It depends on which advantages or disadvantages are personally weighted more and can therefore only be decided individually.
Both variants will accompany us in the future, but which variant outshines the counterpart or whether a harmonious coexistence awaits us will emerge in the course of time.
Communication Advisor at HBI Helga Bailey GmbH – International PR & MarCom
Annika Müller has been supporting HBI in the areas of PR and marketing since 2022.
As a Communication Advisor, her responsibilities include the creation of professional articles & the conceptualization of social media postings. Furthermore, Annika is involved in directly assisting our client work.
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