On the End of Newsweek
To be honest, I haven't read a whole lot of issues of Newsweek in my life. Only in the past few months have I had a subscription, and that is because it was free. But, I am still sad that it will no longer be issued in print form, if only because it is indicative of a larger trend of moving all information on-line.
I am not a technophobe. I blog. I work as an editor for an on-line publication and am immensely thankful for that opportunity. I can't imagine life anymore without the internet (although some days I long for its simplicity. Unfortunately, we didn't realize it was simple at the time. It's hard to imagine that we may also look back at these days as "simpler" times.) Still, I like to read things in print. I like to curl up with a magazine or good book. I like the tactile sensation of turning pages. I like the smell of paper. It hurts my eyes to read anything too long on-line.
I look forward to reading my newspaper every morning spread out across my kitchen island. And, if I don't get to read it in the morning, it is still there for me later in the day. I scan the articles - reading what interests me. I enjoy the comics. I eat while I read it. I won't be doing that with my iPad anytime soon.
I like to have books that travel with me. I always have one in my purse. I like to mark the pages with little slips of paper if there is something that interests me or that I want to blog about later. I like being able to flip through the pages to find something. Ebooks have a place in this world, but searching for things in them makes me crazy.
The same holds true for magazines. I read them in all sorts of places. I fold down the pages and rip out articles. I cut out pictures I like. Yet, I see my favorite magazines getting thinner. Like Newsweek, I see others closing up shop or going completely digital. I know it is a transition and life is full of changes. But, this one makes me very sad.
I don't think real-life books will disappear anytime soon - there are too many features of them that don't translate easily to electronic versions. But, I also hope magazines and newspapers continue in this world. If they don't, I will miss them terribly.
I am not a technophobe. I blog. I work as an editor for an on-line publication and am immensely thankful for that opportunity. I can't imagine life anymore without the internet (although some days I long for its simplicity. Unfortunately, we didn't realize it was simple at the time. It's hard to imagine that we may also look back at these days as "simpler" times.) Still, I like to read things in print. I like to curl up with a magazine or good book. I like the tactile sensation of turning pages. I like the smell of paper. It hurts my eyes to read anything too long on-line.
I look forward to reading my newspaper every morning spread out across my kitchen island. And, if I don't get to read it in the morning, it is still there for me later in the day. I scan the articles - reading what interests me. I enjoy the comics. I eat while I read it. I won't be doing that with my iPad anytime soon.
I like to have books that travel with me. I always have one in my purse. I like to mark the pages with little slips of paper if there is something that interests me or that I want to blog about later. I like being able to flip through the pages to find something. Ebooks have a place in this world, but searching for things in them makes me crazy.
The same holds true for magazines. I read them in all sorts of places. I fold down the pages and rip out articles. I cut out pictures I like. Yet, I see my favorite magazines getting thinner. Like Newsweek, I see others closing up shop or going completely digital. I know it is a transition and life is full of changes. But, this one makes me very sad.
I don't think real-life books will disappear anytime soon - there are too many features of them that don't translate easily to electronic versions. But, I also hope magazines and newspapers continue in this world. If they don't, I will miss them terribly.
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