So, the student asked, “… Do you think print is dying?”- An inconvenient truth-Heller. With every generation getting more modern and sophisticated with new technologies, or say the industrial revolution, the possibility of print dying seems true. However, we can all agree that its birth, rebirth or death is highly argumentative. Web seems to be replacing print but I strongly disagree that such a change can totally kill print. The age of industrial revolution has made transfer and interchange of written information between cities as well as continents readily available through print.
In 1831 Joseph Henry invented the first electric telegraph, four years later in 1835 Samuel Morse formulated Morse code, and then in 1843 he also produced the first long distance electric telegraph line. At the same time, Alexander Bain patented the first fax machine. In 1867 Thomas Edison patented his mimeograph, which was the first office-copying machine, which might inspire Chester Carlson, almost a century later, to invent the photocopier machine.
Journalism also became more accessible when in 1914 Howard Krum introduced Teletype. Knowledge of Morse code was no longer needed to distribute information but just with these historic facts we can al agree that print has been very useful and still is or will be. (http://www.knobstick.ca/museum.htm). The history of print media and written communication also follows the progress of civilization, which, in turn, moves in response to changing cultural technologies. The transfer of complex information, ideas and concepts from one individual to another, or to a group, has undergone extreme evolution since prehistoric times. Let’s not forget that these changes occurred mostly through some medium, which could be papyrus to paper – PRINT.
With such a close observation of print’s history print has become easily accessible.
In an argumentative panel like this, it would be unfair if the question about print is only centered in places where web access is common. Print still travels around the world and in many different languages. Bob Sein, founder of Night Kitchen is developing software known as TK-3, enabling authors to write Multimedia Books. Books could be imbedded with video and audio and books that need constant updating will benefit from this technology.
But this e-publishing may widen the digital divide and I must say computers play an important role in society today but printing becomes increasingly more expansive.
Readers, answers this! Why do you buy books? So you can quickly refer to them. Why do authors publish her books when they can publish them electronically?
Print can’t die now that we have the technology to produce them faster? With the role of printing in mind, think about what will happen to graphic designs in editorial, stationery, packaging and commercial design? Electronic logos or they will have to concentrate more on webpage design and programming? In addition to this, newspaper advertising has long been an effective way for small businesses to advertise their goods or services to the community around them.
Thus, a paper with a large circulation will have higher readers than one with fewer subscribers. Talk about cost, most people can often strike a better deal if you they run their ads in the paper than on the web. http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/advertising-print-advertising/2590-1.html. The cons of print goes on and on and I still find it hard to believe that print is near its dying age. Print is cheap to produce.
People will always desire the portability and convenience of paper -even if that “paper” is a synthetic material to which readers download information.
After all, if people can’t have something compact to read on the subway or while eating a bowl of cereal at the breakfast table, there will be chaos in the streets. Regardless of how huge media gets and how much domination one e-newspaper has over a particular market, big powerful papers will not feel threatened by electronic messages. That’s the power of the press. When you go to the mall, don’t the magazines with the most recent information attract you to flip through those pages? How many times have you read a full story online? Time is money. Why do people still read their newspaper before work while driving? My point here is that whatever time frames are placed on predictions that print will die…I find it hard to accept that as a fact.
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