Dan’s Writing Blog

The world’s increasing dependence on computers has been fuelling a debate about whether the internet will completely replace paper publications. Some people now think the debate may be coming to an end The paper versus pixels debate has been going for some time now, and yet both online publications and paper publications continue to exist. Certainly paper publications have suffered a drop in sales due the increasing popularity in digesting news and current affairs online but there is no indication, as yet, that demand for paper publications will dry up altogether. Traditional paper publications and online publications both have their distinct advantages and disadvantages. They are also both appropriate and convenient for different situations.

The most obvious benefit of paper publications is that they can be kept and shared. There are also a variety of options with paper publications that online publications don’t have such as folds, pop-ups and fonts that don’t work on a computer screen. Finally, paper’s tangible and permanent nature makes it a better choice for publications with vouchers, or things that readers may want to keep such as meal recipes. Paper publications do, of course, have their disadvantages as well, cost being the main one. The costs associated with producing a traditional paper publication far outweigh the minimal costs needed to create an equivalent online version. The space required to store books, newspapers, magazines and paper documents is another disadvantage, and a major reason why most companies now choose to keep electronic copies of documentation. We also have to consider the environmental factors associated with creating paper publications – millions are trees are cut down every year to make paper for our consumption, and this is something that has had a serious detrimental affect on the world’s climate.

The biggest advantage of internet publications is their cheap cost. No raw materials are required in order to circulate them which means there are no costs to pass on to readers. Accessibility is another advantage – almost every home and workplace has access to the internet these days, which makes online publications very easy to access. But almost certainly the main benefit of internet publications is their ability to be totally up-to-date, reacting to new incidents and events within a very short space of time. Since they are easy to edit and change as soon as the need arises, internet publications are generally more cutting-edge in their information. Finally, since internet publications can be edited instantaneously, it is much easier to correct any mistakes in the publication.
However, internet publications do have a downside. Often people read publications such newspapers and magazines in their leisure time, at home, while commuting or during lunch breaks. In these situations it is often preferable to read in a more comfortable position than sat at a desk so a paper version would be a more appropriate option. There is always a risk of losing the information in an internet publication due to computer crashes, which requires sometimes time-consuming backups.

What this article highlights is that both online publications and paper publications have their own place and time, and although the increasing popularity of the web has lead to falls in Top Gear Magazine Subscriptions, Gardeners World Magazine Subscriptions and the sales of many other paper publications, it’s unlikely that we’ll see the end of traditional magazines, newspapers and books for a long time to come.