It must be a couple of weeks ago now that Glamour Magazine announced that it would no long be producing a monthly glossy, instead it will create a twice yearly beauty led editorial. Or course Glamour will still be online but their site will also have a beauty focus. Since this news was announced I have wondering whether it is the beginning of the end for magazines?
The End For Magazines?
To be honest this news should hardly come as a shock given that magazine circulation numbers have been falling for years. However, I didn’t really expect Glamour to make this move. When you look at the decline in figures for them and other magazines like Cosmo and Look I feel they won’t be the only one to cease publication.
Gradually everything is moving online and I guess you could argue that that is progression. In an age where everything moves so fast it is impossible for print to keep up. News is online almost immediately and we have access to everything we need to know through the power of Google. If we find something we want to show a friend it’s so easy just to forward them the link.
I guess part of the problem is that there is no sense of urgency to read a magazine. I know I don’t buy them that regularly, but when I do I can have it sat there for a week before I flick through the pages. Being connected to the internet 24 hours a day means it is so much easier to skim over an article when you’re on the go. How many of us carry round a magazine and do the same?
Blogs
When I was a teenager you picked up your copy of Just 17 and devoured it immediately. In some respects I feel like blogs have replaced that. When I see that my favourite bloggers have uploaded a new post I’m there pretty much straight away. Blogs are definitely becoming more editorial with longer posts and more professional imagery. Maybe they will bridge the gap slightly between a bitesize online article and a print piece.
The Future
Part of me feels like there will always be a place for some magazines like Vogue. While they have branched out with online platforms I can’t imagine them never being in print. If I had the choice of reading Vogue online or in print I’m going to choose print every time. Reading magazines is almost a ritual in the way that you escape from the world for a while with a cup of tea. Reading online just doesn’t have the same effect and staring at a bright screen is in no way relaxing. I love the smell of a brand new magazine and how glossy its pages feel between my fingers.
Journalism is continuously changing and I guess we need to keep assessing how content is distributed and where the readers are. I would love the popularity of magazines to grow again but also for the blogging industry to thrive.
Would you rather read a magazine or head online for a browse?
I heard that Jo Elvin was stepping down as Editor in Chief but I didn’t know that Glamour would no longer be producing a monthly magazine!
This is huge news. I’ve always loved magazines since I was a young child and spent all my pocket money on the likes of Top of the Pops magazine (I remember totalling what I’d spent one evening and it was more than £200) Smash Hits, Sugar and Bliss. This is actually quite sad as I don’t feel that online journalism should replace print. I love a magazine and definitely prefer to read it in print. That being said, you’re right that the internet and blogging has definitely played a part in the decline of print journalism. I find it curious that Elle has managed to increase the cost of their magazine so I wonder if it was mainly Glamour’s readership that was the problem? I did think it was a bit strange how they reduced the cost from £2 a month to £1. I hope their staff aren’t too adversly affected.
Great post 🙂 xo