By Nicola Brookes, Atex Communications Manager
Posted on November 16 07:30, 2011
Interesting new research I came across this week from Two Sides, a company promoting sustainability of the print & paper industry, shows that when it comes to reading, all generations prefer traditional print to digital media.
Its survey has shown that even a new generation of digital natives still favour paper for reading and the safe keeping of documents. Living in the exciting multimedia world that we do, with mobile devices setting the communication agenda, this might be surprising.
Around 80% of 18-24 year-olds believe that reading from paper is a nicer experience than reading from a screen, and consider it more pleasant to handle than other types of media.
Interestingly, these findings almost match that of another survey which was carried out by Harris Interactive a couple of years ago. It showed that even workers in technology and telecommunications companies agreed that reading in print was easier than reading online, with 70 percent preferring paper, compared to 57 percent of people employed in the banking, finance and insurance industries.
At the same time, it’s well known that most of us appreciate the immediacy that digital media offers. We value the real-time information from around the world, the ability to read the news as it breaks and the low cost of web-based communications.
So, it would seem that the death of paper (which has actually been foretold by futurists since the mid-twentieth century when the computer was born) has been exaggerated.
Based on the general decline in newspaper sales and take-up of online news services in many parts of the world, there have long been concerns that digital media will cannibalise print media. However, it is not necessarily that consumers regard online as a direct substitute to print.
Simply put, now that we can choose to read from a number of different platforms, we opt for traditional media when that’s what’s best for us, and consume digital media where it adds value.
Gartner analyst Nick Ingelbrecht summarised this perfectly when he stated in a recent report, “Trying to sell the same basic content to the same consumer in different formats risks alienating the consumer, who will balk at paying twice for the same thing.”
“Research confirms that multichannel content distribution is essential for reaching consumers who are consuming near equal amounts of print and digital text. Content, publishing, and media organisations should market the synergies of multichannel products to consumers, stressing the benefits of having both print and online access, rather than selling competing stand-alone products.”
