Technological Advances

Development in technology over the last ten years has impacted all kinds of magazines negatively, as the number of digital magazines created continues to increase. It has even been suggested that print newspapers and magazines will eventually die out and be replaced by the digital versions. 

It has been proven that as internet use has gone up, magazine circulation has gone down. In the first six months of 2014, UK consumer magazines lost almost one million print sales, with popular titles like NME down 28% from the previous year. To retaliate against the lure of the internet, publishers are taking advantage of the quality of print and are using higher quality materials in their publications. (taken from http://www.swallowtailprint.co.uk/news/articles/post/126-how-is-the-internet-affecting-the-magazine-industry , 2017).

In terms of production, digital print publications are quicker and cheaper to create, and print newspapers and magazines cause more damage to the environment. Digital magazines can also be more interactive than print magazines as they can incorporate media such as videos and links to other websites. This could be more effective in terms of advertisements, as online adverts could be more likely to grab the reader's attention and encourage them to click further on. Taken from (http://www.wemakemagazines.co.uk/blog/The-battle-continues-Digital-vs-Print-1/)

As evidenced in the screenshot above, taken by smallbusinees.chron.com, newspaper advertising revenue being dropped by 44% in 4 years and a heavy reduction in staff shows how badly they have been affected by advances in technology.

Despite the increasement in digital magazines, there are currently more print magazines than digital magazines that cater to a range of different interests. This statistic suggests that there is currently no cause for concern about print magazines dying out and being replaced by digital versions.