• by David Zinczenko , October 1, 2007

The notion that books, newspapers and magazines will be replaced by electronic media is as foolish as the belief that the visual arts will one day consist entirely of computer graphics

By David Zinczenko

One of the strange conventions of science fiction film and television shows has been the idea that in the future, we will all dress alike. From "Twilight Zone" reruns to movies like The Matrix, Aeon Flux, and I, Robot, citizens of the distant future seem, for no obvious reason, to have given up the idea of dressing themselves as individuals. In the future, fashion is apparently doomed.

Whenever I hear someone say that print is doomed, I think about those old "Twilight Zone" episodes. And I think that when it comes to fashion - and media - the futurists get it all wrong.

Let's imagine for a moment that one day, a new technology allowed us to access the Internet and other communications networks through our clothing - no more need for cell-phones, BlackBerrys or PCs.
Just twist a button or tug on your sleeve, and you're connected. Sounds cool, right?

Of course, just like today's PCs and BlackBerrys, the techno-clothing would probably be compatible with other techno-clothing, and hence would come in a limited number of styles and colors. In other words, everybody who wore the techno-clothing would look exactly like everyone else - just like in sci-fi movies.

However, there would always be a second option: You could stick with your antiquated handheld technologies - say, some futuristic super leap over the iPhone - and wear what you wanted to wear.

Which would you choose?

Technology changes, but human nature does not. And that's why, no matter how many legitimate technological reasons there may be for print's future demise, the medium will most certainly survive. Because print provides something that human beings simply will not do without: individualization.

We Are What We Read

My guess is, your home looks a lot like mine. Serious books line the walls, picture books adorn the coffee table. A newspaper sits on the breakfast table, spread out for family and guests; magazines occupy space in your briefcase and bags, ready to do service on the morning commute or the next picnic.

Each of these pieces of print media serves a dual function, just as the Ralph Lauren polo shirt in your bedroom drawer or the Timberland barn jacket hanging in your closet also serve dual purposes. They provide you with a needed service,
yes - newspapers, books and
magazines give us information and entertainment, just as our clothes provide us with warmth and coverage.

But they also communicate outwardly. Sharing The New York Times with overnight guests, reading Best Life on the shuttle, or taking Blink to the beach tells those who occupy our physical space something about who we are - our values, our priorities, our interests. They are outward expressions of our individuality, and their impact simply can't be duplicated by an electronic medium.

Though we may get our news via handheld from MSN.com, or download the latest Ken Auletta treatise onto an ebook, what we are holding, physically, in our hands is one of just a handful of technological devices. And no matter how many colors a laptop may come in, it can only say so much about us. The sexy commuter in the next seat can see us fiddling with our Treo or e-book, and he or she may know whether we prefer Mac or PC, but they won't know whether we're reading A Confederacy of Dunces, or The Fountainhead or the latest copy of Penthouse Letters.

Tribal Rites

Indeed, this desire to outwardly express ourselves through our choice of media has helped fuel the growth of the magazine industry over the last 10 years. Since 1996, with the dissemination of the new media that's supposed to kill print, the total number of magazines has grown 15 percent, and total magazine readership has grown by 9 percent. An accelerating growth: There were 12 percent more magazine launches in 2006 than in 2002.

It's true that Internet-based communication allows for a kind of interactivity that traditional print-based media does not. But the reverse statement is also true: Traditional media allows for a kind of interactive communication that Web-based media does not. We cannot use electronic media to communicate unspoken (and unwritten) messages to those around us. Electronic media allows us to join and share with a community of likewise plugged-in techno-users spread around the world, but it contributes nothing to the community in our immediate physical space.

Pick up a copy of your favorite magazine, and hold it in your hands. Take a look at the front cover. That cover has been designed to communicate to you what's in the magazine. But on a subtle level, the cover has been designed to communicate something about you, the reader, to those around you. The image says something about who you are, or who you think you are, or who you one day hope to be.

Now look at the back cover. Advertisers pay a premium for that positioning, in part because they want to reach you, the reader. But they also pay because they want to reach those who are observing you.

If for example you are the young, fit, striving male who reads Men's Health, then advertisers want to associate their brand with you - they want you to be seen reading their ad, just as you want to be seen reading that magazine. It is a nonverbal form of communication that simply can't be duplicated electronically.

That's why, in a recent survey of Millennials by Deloitte's Technology, Media & Telecommunications, 71 percent of those ages 13 to 24 say they enjoy reading print magazines even though they could find most of the same information online. And Millennials are much more likely to agree with the statement that "an important feature of printed magazines is seeing what clothes other people are wearing, what cars they drive, the music they listen to, and learn about their lives."

Well, exactly. To learn about others, and to help others learn about you. To be part of the tribe.

When asked what activities they hope to spend more time doing in the coming year, Millennials indicated their top five:

>> Hanging out with friends (35 percent)

>> Listening to music on a portable device (28 percent)

>> Hanging out with family members (25 percent)

>> Reading a book (23 percent)

>> Sitting down at dinnertime with family (21 percent)

In other words, communicating with others is a priority for young people. And according to a 2005 study by Northwestern University, social interaction is a top driver for magazine readership engagement.

Giving up the physicality of print depends entirely on the notion that we'll give up the outwardly directed aspects of media consumption. And that depends on the notion that humans will somehow evolve into a less exhibitionist and less individualized species.

Will it happen? Not until we trade our Ralph Lauren and Timberland for techno-uniforms.