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Nigeria has slowly but surely moved past the era of magazines and newspapers. While there are people who still look forward to picking up a magazine or a newspaper, the larger audience has gotten comfortable with the digital age, where information is readily available on social media platforms, and newspaper companies that were at the forefront of the print era now share important information on their curated social platforms.
The Impact of The Digital Age on Printed Media
Nigeria is not the only country that has moved past the magazine era, but for a country like Nigeria, where the average person got their information by picking up a newspaper in earlier decades, it is a great loss. An unspoken impact of the digital age of information sharing is the slow death of historical archives, as most people who kept documented records of Nigerian news and stories did so with the availability of printed media. Although archives also thrive with digital media, the authenticity of printed media is now a lost art.
What factors caused the death of Nigerian print media?
Although the death of print media is largely attributed to the digital era and the new generation’s rejection of traditional media, other structural factors also influenced the end of the magazine era.
- Production Costs
One of the major factors influencing information sharing now being a largely digital process, is product cost. The soaring prices of importing newsprint and ink, and the maintenance price of the printing presses in Nigeria contributed to the challenges faced by the traditional media industry.
- The Rapid Loss of Ad Revenue
In the past, traditional media were known to generate the most revenue from advertisers seeking to market their products to large audiences. However, with the move towards digital marketing and news sourcing, advertisers have followed the trend and shifted ad revenue to digital media houses, taking significant income away from traditional print media.
- The Digital Era
Perhaps the greatest contributor to the slow death of traditional print media is the global migration to the digital way of life. With more than half of Nigerians owning smartphones, information that would once have been found in magazines can now be easily accessed through media companies’ websites or social platforms, contributing to the drop in demand for digital media.
Why Printed Media Must Make A Comeback
Traditional media were the primary source of information in Nigeria, and because of their presence, most people were aware of what was happening in the country by midday. Additionally, these are reasons why print media must make a comeback.
- The Documentation of History
Printed media may never fully make a comeback due to the growth of the digital economy, but some people still turn to magazines and newspapers. To ensure traditional media is not fully erased from history, the archival importance of printed media must be discussed. Printed media has helped us keep up with history that is not readily available online, especially in a country like Nigeria, where much of our history is lost.
- Making News Accessible
Traditional media houses must continue to advocate for the existence of print media for the average Nigerian who has no access to the internet and must keep up with the news. People could easily afford and access traditional news in the past, which helped the average Nigerian stay up to date. To bring back the era where most Nigerians knew what was happening in the country by the start of the day, printed media must never die a full death.
What Do We Think?
While digital media has its advantages, the overwhelming amount of news and information being released can distract people from focusing on more important issues. Traditional media, in its time, mainly focused on news impacting the country, keeping people updated without them having to be faced with an onslaught of information that had little to no impact.
Read » The Death Of The Nigerian Magazine: What We Lost When Print Died on YNaija
