In the Swanepoel TRENDS Report I regularly discuss trends in the printing and publishing world. For example trend #1 in the 2006 Report was titled “Electronic Devices Take Center Stage”, the 2007 Report extensively discussed “Web 2.0” and the in 2008 trend #3 covered “The New Digital Currency.”

My recent blog on ActiveRain titled “Is Print Finally Dead” drew over 150 comments with opinions from both sides of the isle, with the majority predicting the demise of newspapers.

Although it is true that newspaper circulation dropped from 62.6 million in 1990 to 49.2 million by 2008, it’s interesting to note that magazines subscriptions rose from 174.5 million in 1970 to 324.8 million in 2008, according to Magazine Publishers Association.

So is print dead or thriving?

No question the way we read has changed, but has technology signed its demise or merely fueled its growth?

Netbooks, Kindles and iPads

Don’t get me wrong, the Web is great. I dearly love my 3G-enabled iPad that offers me online access to the Wall Street Journal, Mashable and Wikipedia. And yes, my iPad may very well become the “magazine” of tomorrow. I have downloaded and read books on my iPad and do not find it surprising that Amazon recently announced that the Kindle version of its books now outsell their printed counterparts.

That said, I think the Web remains, at least for the foreseeable future, a source for quickly gathering and scanning information, rather than a source of extensive, long reading stints.

When it comes to reading, browser and search engines may have opened the door to more information, but they have not yet significantly changed the need or pleasure of a good read.

Unquestionably print will continue to evolve, but it does not appear that it will be disappearing anytime soon.

About the Author

Nineteen-time author Stefan Swanepoel publishes the annual Swanepoel TRENDS Report and the annual Swanepoel SOCIAL MEDIA Report. His Reports are widely regarded as the leading research on the most important business and technology trends impacting the real estate industry. For more information visit www.RETrends.com