Why Gen Y can’t keep their eyes off print

Believe it or not, there are some young people who have no time for Facebook and actually enjoy reading books. Mitchell Jordan spoke to members of Gen Y from around the world to find out why print still has an important place in each of their lives.

Jordi Kerr, 25; writer, Melbourne.
This year, Jordi Kerr (pictured) did something she had never done before: she ordered some print.

“When I needed to buy business cards I started asking friends who also work freelance where they bought theirs. I choose to get them done with moo.com based on others' experience of their quality, as well as their price and the ability to really personalise the design on both the front and back of the cards,” she explains.

“The process ended up being more complicated and expensive than I'd anticipated. I lack the skills and software needed to create the personalised images that I wanted – credit goes to Kelly Gentle for my logo design, and Owen Vandenberg for pulling it all together. Due to my needing the cards by a certain date and my not factoring in sufficient time for the design process I had to pay for express shipping, which cost a lot more than the cards themselves. It was a learning process.”

What did she think of the final result? “The finished product did reach me in time and I'm happy with the quality and colours. Some of the font is a bit smaller than I'd like, which I take full responsibility for as it's a natural outcome of the layout that I chose. I would encourage anyone buying online to pay attention to how their product will look in physical form – something I failed to do!”   

It is hardly surprising that Kerr chose to order print online – it is, after all, a medium that captures her attention. “I engage with online mediums a lot more than print – they are immediate and there's a greater variety of voices and platforms that you can read, listen to, and interact with. I can read a blog post by an American feminist, check my local bushfire report, and have a Twitter conversation about the latest movie news. Often simultaneously.”

 

Daniel Kade, 28; engineer, Melbourne.

All eyes were on the iPad when it was released this year, with ongoing talk as to what it meant for the future of books.

As the owner of an iPad, Daniel Kade (pictured) was impressed, (read his full review for Print21 here) but cannot see it overtaking printed books in the near future.

“Currently, electronic book reading devices such as the iPad are too heavy, thick and expensive to replace paperback books in my view,” he says.

“The intimate feel of the paper is missing. Most importantly, though, the iPad is heavy and your hands get tired about holding it for a while.”

As far as social media goes, you have no chance of catching Kade trawling the plethora of sites that exist. “I do not use any social networking tools, such as Facebook. I think Facebook is a waste of time.”

Masayuki Matsumoto, 26; florist, Japan.

Newspapers are dead, dying, done for. That’s the message we’ve been told a million (or billion) times before. But Masayuki Matsumoto (pictured) has been reading the newspaper every morning since he was 13 years old and continues to do so. “I like reading world news and the paper is on the table every morning,” he says.  Magazines have a similar appeal, though he does not always consumer them as often due to both price and relevance.

Don’t ask him, though, the last time he read a book. “Books don’t interest me, but I like to keep up with what is happening in the world.”

Social media is more important to his day-to-day life, however. With Facebook, Twitter, Mixi and Flickr accounts (he deleted MySpace earlier this year), Matsumoto is active in networking online, in terms of both making friends and promoting his art to a wider audience.

In spite of this, he is quick to advocate his preference for print over online any day for one simple reason: “Print doesn’t make my eyes sore,” he says.

 

Sacha Krjatian, 20; author and entrepreneur, Sydney.

Sacha is a firm believer in the power of the printed page. So much so that in August this year, he self-published his first book: Teens Big Dreams. Aimed at youth, the self-help book offers advice on achieving goals and dreams, much of which was based on Sacha’s own experiences in overcoming adversity.

There is a perception that teenagers would rather reach such information online. Sacha, (pictured) however, disagrees. “When I published my book, I was very confident that teenagers would enjoy reading the printed book,” he says. “Do I think that teenagers still enjoy reading printed books compared to blogs and e-books? I think absolutely. Online media can sometimes gets distracting with menus, links and advertisements.”

Of course, he has also utilised everything from his own website, through to Twitter and Facebook accounts to promote the book, but realises there is life beyond the computer screen.

“Social networking is very important to me in the true sense of the world, I love offline social networking – meeting with people face-to-face,” he adds.

 

Nicole Thomas, 28; editor, Sydney.
As a long-time book lover, and a writer, Nicole Thomas has a natural affinity for print. The medium, she says, is a relaxing and pleasurable one.

“I associate the computer with work rather than leisure, plus my eyes get tired looking at the screen for extended periods of time,” she says. “There is also the tactile aspect – the feel of the paper, the gloss of the images, the impact of the colours. You also cannot read a blog sitting in the sun or at the beach relaxing.”

It is no surprise, then, that she has no time for social media. “Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc do not play any part in my life,” Thomas (pictured) adds.

Newspapers are also relevant and are a product which she consumes regularly. “I/we buy the newspaper once a week … mainly for the crossword and arts section. Forget the 'news'!”

Not all printed products have the same appeal to Thomas, however. An example in point is the White and Yellow Pages. “I use it online frequently, but the printed version I hardly ever use,” she adds.

Wei Soo, 28; not-for-profit, Melbourne.
Like Thomas, Wei Soo also associated print with leisure/pleasure.
“I tend to only buy newspapers and magazines when I am on holiday or travelling,” he says.

Social media plays an enormous part in his day-to-day life, in part due to his work at Global Poverty Project, a not-for-profit organisation. “I head up a non-profit communications organisation which centres on global poverty issues.  Social media is a major part of our communications strategy,” he says.

“With respect to printed media, does not play much part in my day-to-day life. I consume this online.  The printed products I consume tend to be novels/books.”   

Irrespective of these habits, Soo (pictured) does not foresee online taking over entirely. “I think there can still be a niche for print media to play.  Online media lends itself well to instantaneous/"transactional" communication – but (in my opinion) does not lend itself well to replacing the comforts of consuming media as "basic leisure,” he says.

“There is a certain comfort in picking up a physical publication, and thumbing through its pages, dog-earring your favourite sections that online print can never replace, even with the advent of tablets and the like.”

 

Kerstin Hoffelner, 26; marketing, United Kingdom.
Online wins hands-down for Kerstin Hoffelner, who believes that the medium “doesn’t cost anything, is easy and quick to get and convenient.”

The exception, though, is books. “I cannot read long stories on my computer: it hurts my eyes and I don't enjoy it that much,” she says.

Even in her work in marketing, Hoffelner (pictured) is aware of not ignoring one channel in favour of the other.

“To date, both are used effectively. I believe this really depends on your target market. You need to first find out what their preferences are and then decide which medium you take,” she says.

“At my job we used both, magazines and websites. Print is usually more expensive. Also, it is quite difficult to measure the effectiveness of the medium: you don't really know if your advert created awareness and led to a purchase.”

A word from the editor:

Anyone who has ever met or seen me at an industry function will know that I always carry a notebook and pen everywhere. No fancy laptop or iPad for me. Perhaps it’s just force of habit – I’ve been doing this for a long time now, but pen and paper has always suited me best.

I can’t tell you, though, the last time I ever flicked through a phonebook or catalogue (sorry, PMP), though I am arcane enough to write a couple of letters a year. While my grandmother has a pile of phone books and eagerly awaits the arrival of weekly catalogues the way I hang out for my order from Amazon to be delivered, there are some printed products which, to a 26-year-old, are not so important, and may become even less so as technology is ingrained further into our existence and passed down to generations not even born yet.

It only recently dawned on me that life as a journalist is easier when using palm-sized notebooks that will fit in the pocket of my jeans. When printed products are as convenient and effective as this, they aren’t going to be going away anytime soon.

Mitchell Jordan, Print21