Print is dead! – We all heard and maybe also believed in that over the course of recent history. But according to a new study by the Pew Research Center, the future of print media might not be quiet as dark after all. And who would have thought that this trend is mainly spurred by the increase in tablet users?
According to a survey of news use on mobile devices by Pew’s “Project for Exellence in Journalism (PEJ)”, most tablet users actually have yet to emphasize the “mobile” capabilities of their device. 85 percent of tablet users, who use their device for news over the course of a week, tend to do so while being at home and not on the go.
For power users, the tablet is often accompanied by a computer (77 %), a smartphone (54 %), and by print products (50%)! One in four power users also uses all four platforms as a source for news and information. This behavior left Pew wondering if a new a kind of “multi-platform” news consumer is developing. After all, the digital news consumer may still remain loyal to its print subscriptions.
As O’Shaughnessy and Stadler point out, the success or failure of a particular media is influenced by a variety of determinants (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2012, pp. 6). Is the mentioned uphold of print articles only the last uprising on our way to a fully digital consumption of news and information, or is there life in the old dog yet? We as the audiences along with our media habits play a large role in making this decision – and at the end time will tell.
Strategically Communicating 
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