Is print dead? Is online content the new reality? Such questions are regularly in trend and amongst the most discussed ones.
With an increasing popularity of digital publishing, the topic- how digital publishing has affected the traditional print publication is often a matter of debate.
The publishing industry is continuously experiencing a shift from the traditional print methods to the digital publishing methods. Developments in technology and content acquisition methods of users are the key drivers of this change.
The users are always seen glued to their device’s screens and consuming content all the time- at home, on the way, at the workplace, everywhere. It is right to say that generation and consumption of the digital content is going hand in hand.
To get a clear insight, let’s look at the facts of how traditional publishing has been affected.
Swift Process
Traditional printing methods are highly time-consuming. After the content is ready, printing and distribution take time. This is not the case with the online publishing, all this can be done quickly just by clicking the button.
Further changes and updates can be easily and quickly added. You decide it and you are done. In this ever-evolving world, there is no time to wait for what can be achieved in a lesser time. It enables the publishers to reach their customers irrespective of the geographical borders.
Demand for searchable content
Digital publishing has made it possible to instantly provide searched information whereas the words, sentences, and tons of knowledge present in the printed books cannot be accessed instantly.
All the online information is google-able today and obtained in a few seconds. At the same time, it is impossible to instantly go through heaps of books. Thus, increasing demand for searchable content has limited the usage of print publications. The newspapers lie folded and the books remain closed.
Mobility
In today’s digital world almost everybody owns a mobile device. Increased internet speed has made it much easier to acquire information anywhere and everywhere.
The requested content is available on a single tap on the go, which is not possible using the print publications. Thus, the tradition of carrying heavy books and a pile of papers is obsolete now.
Better engagement
After the exposure to highly interactive and engaging digital content, traditional methods have got a major setback. Today’s user is constantly looking for engaging and awesome content in the form of embedded multimedia and ease of use. As per statistics, 80% of the online browsed content composes videos. Dynamic content is in trend, unlike the earlier static print content.
Reduced cost
Digital publications are increasingly replacing print because their generation and acquisition both occur at much lower prices. It is convenient for both the publishers and readers. The digital content can be availed and distributed at much lower prices. It saves the cost of printing, delivery, and distribution.
Easy availability
Gone are those days when people had to visit various bookstores and wait for buying the books. Digital publishing has become the one-stop-shop for today’s consumer. Without wasting any time, a person can obtain whatever he desires on a single click. A publication by a foreign author is available to the global customers at the same time.
People no more wait for the print magazines and newspapers to arrive to know about what is happening in their community, all the information is available in no time. All thanks to the digital publishing technology.
Ability to share
Digital publishing is any day more capable to take full advantage of this feature. Earlier with the traditional methods, it was not easier to share the content with your friends and family staying in faraway places. On the other hand, digital content natively supports this feature. A reader can easily share the desired content online. Further, the social media has given a boost to this aspect. Content goes viral in seconds; such is the power of digital publishing.
Instant feedback
Today, authors and readers can easily interact and share their views. Publishers get instant feedback about their work, which gives them the opportunity to know about their readers’ tastes. This gives them the freedom to innovate their work as per the likes and dislikes of their users. Two-way communications tools facilitated by the electronic publishing has pushed back the print methods where the author is unknown about their user’s feedback.
Better Analytics
Technology has made it possible to track the exact reading behaviour of the digital audience. It gives a clear idea of who is reading, their retention rates, and engagement. Authors get a clear picture of which marketing strategy is helping them in gaining and growing their market. This has seriously affected print methods where author have no idea if a person has ever opened or read the printed content or not.
Environment-friendly
Most importantly, going digital has reduced the cutting of trees and wastage of paper. Saving the environment is in everybody’s interests today. More and more people are becoming aware of the impacts of a better environment in our lives.
Putting it simply, the number of online readers has experienced an unexpected boost over the last two decades. Today online content is being consumed by the users everywhere and in every form. Though, some people still value the traditional methods because they just love the feel and sense of paper. They love to stack their books as a possession to keep. But gauging into a bigger picture, digital publishing has been accepted worldwide as a major source of information acquisition and is continually replacing the print methods.
