Jukka and I were recently talking about old magazines we used to read as teenagers (Metal Hammer, anyone?) and while Metal Hammer is still being printed, we came to the conclusion that a lot of magazines, in general, don’t have their physical footprint anymore. That is to say, magazines (and even newspapers in general) aren’t being printed nowadays – they have all transferred their content online. And to be honest, we think that is for the better. There are many reasons why we think that e-magazines (electronic magazines) will replace printed magazines, and this is what we will be covering in today’s blog.
There are many benefits to e-magazines, here are some of them, in no specific order or importance:
Zero-Waste
We have to admit that in recent years we (humankind in this sense) have taken to preserving our environment. We have witnessed with our own eyes the destruction caused by natural disasters, climate change, and global warming. And while not printing magazines can seem funny, it does help out in the process of going zero-waste and keeping our planet at least somewhat cleaner. Think about it – if we don’t print out magazines and newspapers, there won’t be over-felling of trees, and we will have cleaner air, right? We know what happens when there is too much tree-felling (massive fires, drought) so this can be a good step forward in the right direction. Plus, e-magazines will not create any pollution. Did you know that even though the paper is recyclable, it still takes so much time to disintegrate? Without printing magazines, we will not be clogging our planet with so much waste, and honestly, that is very important if you ask us.
It’s cheaper
In a similar line with creating zero-waste, this benefit has to do with creating zero-waste… in the financial sense. Really, with not printing magazines, their publishing houses can save up much money that they can invest in better journalists, designs, and better work altogether. With more money to work with, publishing houses can fund and pay their workers more! Another great thing about e-magazines is that they are not only cheaper for the publishing house – they are cheaper for readers as well. You can buy a monthly subscription or an annual subscription to your favorite magazine, and it will cost you less than it would if you just purchased the printed version.
Practicality
Everything is being transferred to the online world, and we have to say that that is very practical. Even the older generations (our parents, grandparents) are slowly but surely getting used to doing everything online, so there is no reason as to why magazines would not join the online world too. The reason why this switch to the online realm is practical is that now, we can have everything we need in one object (our mobile or PC). Really – nowadays you don’t have to go out to buy a magazine you want to read, you can just get access to it with one or two clicks! Isn’t that great?!