With the Internet still being
so new each of the more traditional media outlets have had to adapt to the web
in order to insure the survival of their medium; magazines were not immune to
the side effects of the Internets ever-increasing power. When the Internet was
still new, but it was clear the immense impact it would have, many magazine
industry professionals worried that subscriptions to magazines would decrease
so significantly over time that the Internet would essentially be responsible
for the death of the magazine.
In an article in Advertising
Age as part of the “Ad Age Special Report “ author Keith Kelly notes “The
Internet has grabbed the spotlight from publishers in sharp contrast to a
decade earlier, when magazines were among the hottest of all media. ``From a
sex appeal and a buzz on Madison Avenue point of view, there is nothing to
compare with the front-of-mind impact that new media are creating,'' says John
Suhler, president of Veronis Suhler & Associates. ``It's a new field with
new thinking, new tools. Everyone is trying to understand it. `Magazines can't
compete with that, but the fundamental, enduring value of magazines is still
there.'' This article as published in 1996 documents the concerns of media
professionals at the very early stages of the Internet. Magazines were still
attempting, as was the rest of the world, to see what the Internet really was
and what it could be. As the Internet has developed we have seen the ways in
which magazines have utilized the Internet and even Web 2.0 to sustain their
presence in everyday life. Kelly reassures the readers with the opinion of a
media professionals confirmation that, `` ‘Magazines are not dead,’ Mr. Bibb
agrees. `They have a different kind of sex appeal-more like the woman who turns
40. She can still be attractive but she has to recognize that she's not an
ingenue anymore. [Magazines] are more like Jane Fonda or Raquel Welch. They
don't have to take off their clothes to generate heat.' “ Much like Mr. Bibb suggested, we are now
seeing a way that magazine generates heat by using the power of the Internet.
The class reading, “Magazine Media Readers are Social,”
outlined research
that suggests that magazines have surged because of the Internet, more
specifically social media. The article concludes that of the respondents of the
study 68% “believe technology has improved the experience of accessing various
media.” Moreover, an astonishing 81% of avid magazine readers also agree that
technology has improved their experience. The article suggests that the
Internet and social media sites have given magazine readers a much more
personal connection with their favorite publications. Through Twitter, Facebook
and other sites, “They
[magazine readers] also interact to a much higher degree with magazine content
and even directly with magazine editors via Twitter exchanges.” “Avid” magazine
readers also use social media platforms to share magazine articles/content with
their friends “and they do it to a high degree using social devices,” according
to the reading. Personally, I don’t follow magazines on Twitter because I don’t
find the content to be that pressing but I was wondering if anyone in the class
follows magazine publications on Twitter? We discussed in class one night the
likelihood of clicking on a link on our Twitter feeds and this YouTube video I found
suggests that people are less likely to click on a link as opposed to an image
or video on Facebook, so if you share content are they images? I know for me, I
am more likely to follow a magazine publication on Instagram because I find
that magazines are very much an image driven media and I would rather see the
image on Instagram than an article on Twitter or Facebook. Going along with
that, Mashable had an article outlining the ways that magazines are
able to use the internet to not only sustain their readership, but advance the
relationships they have with their readers, and one of the things the article
mentioned was National Geographic’s use of Instagram. Mashable suggests that, “The tactics adopted by these marketing-savvy publications
generate relationships and conversations around their brand — on and offline.”
Another use of the Internet and social media for magazines is the advancement
of editorial pieces. Mashable outlined ways that, “magazines are successfully employing social
media to create an editorial journey for readers, rather than just a linear
reading experience.”
According to these
publications, magazines have turned to social media to advance the industry,
but do you think this can sustain the magazine? Are subscription numbers too
important for the industry to allow the magazine industry to rely so heavily on
social media and the Internet? The Internet certainly hasn’t “killed” the
magazine but has it compromised what it used to be by making it too social?
http://mashable.com/2011/02/09/social-media-magazines/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8JeLGz6ArA
Kelly, Keith J. "Magazines." Advertising Age 67.42 (1996): S1. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
“Magazine Media Readers are Social”, Magazine Publishers of America
http://mashable.com/2011/02/09/social-media-magazines/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8JeLGz6ArA
Kelly, Keith J. "Magazines." Advertising Age 67.42 (1996): S1. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
“Magazine Media Readers are Social”, Magazine Publishers of America
,
Stephanie Griffin
ReplyDeleteMorgan,
I found your topic about magazine subscriptions and social media to be very intriguing. Personally, I have “liked” a few magazines on my own social media for the accessibility. As many other traditional media, magazines have also found themselves online to adapt to the digital era we are living in. Yet, as you mentioned in your blog, magazines are also integrating with social media. For example, Cosmopolitan is usually consistent when it comes to posting an article or two a day that can attract people on social media to go to their website and read the article from their recent issue. As research from one of our class readings, “Magazine Media Readers are Social” discovered, “For the most part, those 18–34 personally own a digital device and access multiple social platforms. They have a healthy appetite for media and believe that technology has improved the experience of accessing media” (“Magazine Media Readers” 2). In other words, our generation as young adults has learned to utilize social media when accessing our favorite niches- like magazines. This makes sense since our generation practically grew up with social media since we started using computers at the internet. With this adaptation of all the new social media over the past decade, we have also been able to integrate our favorite things into our Facebooks and Twitters.
Going off the accessibility aspect, I also see social media allowing there to be more of an interaction between audiences and magazines. The research from the “Magazine Media Readers” also studied which social media platform allowed the most interaction. Their findings saw Facebook as the top social media platform to do so which is interesting (“Magazine Media Readers” 28). I was surprised to read about this because although Facebook does allow a sharing option to post on friends’ walls, I thought Twitter and Pintrest would have much higher numbers because of the options of retweeting and repining to our own domain. Regardless, magazines certainly have learned to adapt to the internet and move to social media platforms to sustain themselves, and personally, I feel this will not affect the magazine industry as people assume. Furthermore, having magazines online and making the reading process sociable could certainly be a good thing because you are able to share an interesting article with your friend online, post a comment on your opinions about the article, and almost any interaction with the magazine itself can also affect its content and make it more pleasurable to read.
Griffin Part 2-
DeleteAnother class reading for this week was the article, “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture” by Sarah Banet-Weiser. The article generally talks about how certain advertisements and television programs have been changing to adapt to a more diverse society; a section also discusses audience interaction. The context of this relates to how kids are interacting with Dora and her friends on the children show, Dora the Explorer. Banet-Weiser writes, “The emphasis on audience interaction is, of course, typical of many contemporary children's programs for which the creators have researched the pedagogical potential of television. It also speaks to a more general cultural shift--signified by postfeminism among other things--that recognizes media audiences as active, savvy consumer” (Benet Weiser 389). The part about media audiences now becoming active, savvy consumer relates back to how magazines have integrated with social media. By doing so, it has allowed the subscribers to stay connected with the issue even if they are not on the magazine’s website. Overall, this integration has certainly helped magazines and I personally do not see it affecting the subscriptions; if anything, it will help its subscribers be on the lookout for the next new issue and articles.
Works Cited
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader. Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012), 379 - 393.
“Magazine Media Readers are Social,” Magazine Publishers of America. magazine.org/socialresearch. Web. 3 March 2013
Raquel Doering
ReplyDeleteMorgan,
I found your post on the magazine industry and social media very interesting and informative. As you mentioned, with the advent of the Internet, more traditional niche media needed to adapt to our user-generated culture to survive. In fact, 68% of total respondents of the “Magazine Media Readers are Social” study “believe technology has improved the experience of accessing various media” (Kevorkian 11). According to the study, the magazine industry adapted by joining social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter (3). This adaption allowed magazine consumers opportunities to interact with the magazines. For instance, users could “chat with friends on Facebook while reading a magazine and share what they are reading” or could “re-tweet articles from a magazine’s Twitter feed” (16). Because magazines have adapted for our society’s needs and desires to interact, they will continue to survive. Social media will keep consumers interested in magazines, which will assist in maintaining or even elevating subscription numbers.
Based on the magazines industry’s success with social media, the key ingredient for success in today’s society seems to be the ability of interaction. According the Sarah Banet-Weiser’s “What’s You Flava?,” “the emphasis on audience interaction…speaks to a more general cultural shift…that recognizes media audiences as active, savvy consumers” (Banet-Weiser 389). Consumers are no longer happy with passively receiving information; they want to comment, blog, or discuss the information on both factual and emotional levels. This interaction not only saved the magazine industry for the 18-34 demographic (Kevorkian) but also, helped to make Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer such a great success for the preschool demographic within the niche medium of cable TV. Along with the diversity and girl power ideals ingrained in the show, “the structure of the program encourages interactive behavior on the part of the audience… The program itself is structured like a computer game, so there is a cursor that ‘clicks’ on the right answer when Dora asks the audience for help” (Banet-Weiser 389). Thus, interaction is a necessary asset for many age groups in diverse niche media.
Raquel Doering (continued)
DeleteAs a result when more traditional niche media are struggling, they should incorporate an interactive adaption, particularly an involvement in social media, into their solutions back to success. According to Jeanine Poggi’s article “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013,” “ratings woes [of 2012] plagued many TV networks” and “the industry is redoubling its effort to figure out new ways to woo big audiences” (Poggi). If the five cable companies mentioned in the article, CNN, OWN, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Current TV (Poggi), would either create or increase their social media efforts and activity, they may be saved, as the magazine industry was, despite the challenges each station is facing. Although the Nickelodeon demographic is slightly too young to be using social media, the parents of the children are not, and targeting social media efforts towards the parents may be just as effective.
Therefore, today’s media audiences are “active savvy consumers” (Banet-Weiser 389) and look for the ability to interact to be interested in a particular medium. As a result, the magazine industry saved itself by adapting to our society’s need for interaction by joining social media sites, such as Facbook and Twitter. This adaption will help keep the magazine industry alive for many years to come. To address their current struggles, cable TV networks should join social media sites, or if they are already members, increase their interactive efforts. Earning the attention of consumers on social media sites would transfer over to consumers watching the programs on the cable channels, hence, creating the bigger audiences the cable channels desire.
Works Cited
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader. Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012), 379 - 393.
“Magazine Media Readers are Social,” Magazine Publishers of America. magazine.org/socialresearch. Web. 4 Mar. 2013
Poggi, Jeanini. “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013:Battles Ahead to Improve Ratings, Harness Social TV.” Advertising Age. Crain Communications, 28 Dec. 2012. Web. 4 Mar. 2013.
Ryan
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do not follow any magazines on any social networks, I am not surprised to hear that technology has improved magazine readers experience with their favorite magazines. Magazines definitely do not have the same aura to them that they once had, but, just like anything that has solidified itself within a media audience, there is always room to improve and adapt its strengths to the new world of social media. Whether or not one social media platform generates more popularity in its partnership with magazines is almost irrelevant, since what counts is that magazines are still capable of maintaining mass popularity. I can definitely imagine that some platforms succeed more than others for various reasons like accessibility, pictures, and delivery of magazine content, and it is just up to the various media platforms to give the readers what they are looking for.
The data from “Magazine Media Readers” suggest that Facebook might be the most popular media platform to share and interact with other magazine readers. The ability to share your magazine reading experience with others who share the same interest seems to be the most compelling component to the new era of magazine reading. The studies that took place in “Magazine Media Readers are Social” demonstrate just how willing and readily magazine readers are to make their magazine reading a social experience. An astounding 68% of respondents noted that “technology has improved the experience of accessing various media”, illustrating how much potential magazines have with this new group of social magazine readers that are out there. Some of the methods of interaction include speaking with social media friends while reading a specific magazine or re-tweeting a specific magazine article to share with your followers. I picture this sort of social media interaction concerning magazine as just an extension of what magazines used to do for readers before social media. All social media has done for magazines are extending the boundaries of discussion. Magazines have always been a popular topic for people to talk about. This is just the newest means of discussion. It is just a new form of talking about that awesome article in Time Magazine while at the water cooler.
Since the majority of the media audience today are “active savvy consumer” according to the article “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture”, it will be crucial for magazines to continue to find ways to appeal to these new savvy media consumers, and feed all their media needs on whatever platform they are currently attracted to. I, for one, am happy that magazines continue to remain prominent with media audiences, and think they have made the necessary changes to remain in popularity.
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader. Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012).
“Magazine Media Readers are Social,” Magazine Publishers of America. magazine.org/socialresearch. Web. 4 Mar. 2013
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMorgan,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you brought up the topic of magazines because I think they are often an overlooked form of media. Hard copy magazines are still a source of entertainment media, but I know they are usually not the first choice. I found it interesting that these magazine companies feared for their future when the Internet first started to gain momentum. Since we have pretty much grown up with the Internet I didn’t even think about what that would be like and I could see how that could seem scary. Many did not know what to expect with the Internet so they did the best they could to adapt. I think being in the media industry the most important thing is being able to adapt. Since everyone is all about social media today, it was an obvious decision for the magazines to start adapting to social media forums.
In “Magazine Media Readers are Social” by the Association of Magazine Media, I found it fascinating to learn about the niche media. Since I myself am not considered an “avid” magazine reader, I was glad to learn more about it. I can say that I fit into the main statistic of not following a magazine on Twitter, because I’ve honestly just never thought about it (23). Although, after reading it I will probably look at magazines on Twitter and see if any interest me.
The first thing that I found interesting was when the reading said, “avid magazine readers are connecting directly with magazines and editors via social media” (3). I thought that was really cool that this niche media has such a personal connection with its followers and readers. Since magazine readers [ages 18-34] are very connected to social media (4), it made sense for magazines to reach their readers through social media because it makes a guaranteed connection. As it said in the reading because these “avid” readers are also highly involved in social media it makes sharing content that much easier. Many readers are more than willing to share their opinions about what they see in a magazine. Social media allows readers to easily retweet an article or share a story on Facebook.
I also found it interesting that Facebook was the best platform for engaging with the magazine brand (28). I guess I never thought of it that way because I don’t see much buzz about magazines on my newsfeed, but once I saw why people visit their magazines Facebook pages it made sense. Many go onto the Facebook pages because obviously the content, but also for contests and games. The reading said many responded well to contests, discounts, coupons, offers, and sales (13). Those types of marketing are definitely a way that magazines could stay ahead over other forms of media. I think if they continue to come up with new ways to engage their audience through marketing then they will be able to sustain themselves.
“Magazine Media Readers are Social,” Magazine Publishers of America. magazine.org/socialresearch. Web. 4 Mar. 2013
I think this post on how magazines are keeping up with the digital age brings up some really great points and topics. Most people think that now that they can view or find everything they need from fashion to relationship advice online that people won’t pick up a copy of Cosmo or other magazines that are targeted at this type of audience. But I know what I have at least noticed now more than ever is that people are still buying these magazines and then following up with what they read on social media platforms or on the magazine’s website where they can be sure to find more sources.
ReplyDeleteIn the article by the MPA, Magazine Readers are Social, it is very clear that the times are changing when it comes to how we consume media. We do not just go to one source, but also instead follow up consistently using other digital sources, and we like doing it that way. As you stated in your post the study proved that 68% “believe technology has improved the experience of accessing various media” and 62% believe that “the more media I can access to learn about a story or topic, the better informed I become” (11). So while some can say that the magazine is dying, it can really be said that it has just led to another step in the learning process. Over half of all respondents and even larger numbers of avid magazine readers follow their magazine of choice on social media platforms according to the study. If anything this just gives a magazine a bigger audience.
What we can also look at are magazines that are now linked to television shows. While most readers will follow up online with whatever they read in magazine, there are also a number of magazines that have a place on a television network or reoccurring appearances on television shows. The most notable example would be O Magazine by Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey now has her own station, which although it has not done well in its fledgling years, is looking to be up and coming in the future, “In the third quarter, OWN reported a 63% surge in prime-time viewership by women 25 to 54 years old and a 57% jump in total viewers. And in November, OWN posted its tenth consecutive month of year-over-year ratings gains.” This was reported in the article Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013 by Advertising Age. This is a huge jump for the network that directly correlates to the magazine.
So to answer your question, no I do not think that the Internet and digital media will kill off the magazine, as we know it today. I think it will just give subscription holders more of what they want but cannot get in a normal issue. This really just gives magazine executives more space to deal with and more of an opportunity to grab new readers.
“Magazine Media Readers are Social”, Magazine Publishers of America
Poggi, Jeanine. “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013.” Advertising Age. December 28, 2012.
Brandon Schindler
ReplyDeleteMorgan,
To start out I think this is a very interesting subject. Personally I don’t really follow many magazines or social media. Even though I don’t have a firm grasp on social media, I still have an understanding that, from what I have seen, there is a trend in social media. Now, Morgan, to answer your first question about the industry sustaining the magazine, I think that social media will help the magazines out in keeping their readers. Drawing on the class reading entitled “Magazine Media Readers are Social,” it states that “Chief reasons for visiting a magazine’s Facebook page are relevant content, special contests and games, and checking out ideas and recipes and photos posted” (Magazine Media Readers 6). Granted, this whole idea of having relevant content on the Facebook page could also hurt the magazine. To deviate from my positive opinion of this for a second, it seems like we are shifting into the idea of getting information when it is conveniently at the reader’s finger tips. As I stated before I think that social media will only help the magazines out. Even though I have portrayed the idea that there are other more convenient ways to get the information, this may help keep the reader more interested in the magazine. The relevant content could lead the reader back into the magazine. I think there is also the potential for social media to help magazines grab new readers, or at least maybe catch the eye of a social media user.
One of the other articles that we read for this week entitled “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture,” talks in one section about diversity in relation to the show Dora the Explorer (Benet Weiser 388-390). For the purposes of this blog I want to talk about diversity in relation to the topic that has been presented here. In the article it says “In the case of Nickelodeon, as demonstrated by Dora the Explorer, diversity is less about a specific identity in terms of ethnicity than about an identity as empowered consumer-citizen” (Benet Weiser 390). The point that I am trying to get at is can this whole idea with the niche media, specifically social media and magazines, be looked at as a form of diversity in itself? Going along with the idea that I presented earlier about this shift in social media in relation to magazines, there could be a relation made in that the show as I’m to understand it, is branching out to include more of the cultural aspect (Benet Weiser 388-390). When looking at the idea that social media is now intertwined with magazines, I think that this could be looked at as diversity in the media. With the argument that I have made about social media helping the magazines, I think that can relate to this idea that the show is including more cultural aspects (Benet Weiser 388-390). The overall idea that I get out of this is that the show is expanding, and with the use of social media in magazines, there is an expansion there as well. Through all of this I feel that this relationship between social media and magazines will be a great thing. Whether it is the social media user, or someone that is clicking on a magazines page for the first time, there could be more inspiration to look further into something that they see!
Works Cited
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader. Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012), 379 - 393.
“Magazine Media Readers are Social,” Magazine Publishers of America. magazine.org/socialresearch. Web. 5 March 2013
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI thought that your blog post was very interesting.
I don't think that the magazine industry can be sustained through social media. However I do believe that social media can help endorse a magazine and get it attention. The magazine industry will lose money because the internet is an easier outlet to get information and it also a cheaper way of getting that information. I agree with the author of the Advertising Age article that magazines do have a different appeal than the internet. It is more classic and attracts different audiences. Magazines have probably lost more of the younger readers to the internet but older readers possibly 18+ but definitely 25+ know what it is like to grow up with magazines and to flip through pages of different gossip, tips, advice, or advertisements. Social media doesn't give you the same variety of things catered to a certain topic, age or gender like a magazine does. When young adult females flip through Cosmopolitan, they find an assortment of articles and ads that cater to them. Whereas on social media, there can be many different articles or pictures to look at but it does not have the same feel. Yes, there are ads around the websites, but most people disregard them as annoying pop ups or viruses. When flipping through a magazine an advertisement is more likely to catch my eye and not be considered bothersome. Especially because some magazines have different issues pertaining to different audiences and maybe I will be more interested in what is shown.
When it comes down to it using social media might not help with the subscription numbers because social media is free and if the viewer can see content for free then why should he/she pay to subscribe. I wouldn't subscribe to a magazine if I can read the articles or see all of the pictures online beforehand. It would be redundant to flip through to see the same things. Personally, I get three different magazines to my house. This is only because I get them free. Social media does enhance the experience. Magazines love to put contests and giveaways on their social media sites. They also love to put coupon codes on their twitter sites for popular stores or items. This makes reading the magazine much more worthwhile.