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Not the medium, but the method

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CIOL Bureau
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Krishna Kumar

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Never before have stories of the impending death of print been shriller. For years now, Print has lived under the shadow of first TV and then the Internet for quite a while now, and the growing buzz around Web 2.0 has only added to the noise.

So, is print going to die?

The classic argument on the side of the longevity of print revolves around the romance, the convenience and the permanence. The freedom that a printed document gives you to curl up in bed and leisurely read a novel on your own pace is yet to be rivaled by any other media. And that say supporters of print, is more than enough reason for print to survive forever.

The new generation, argues those against, finds convenience online and is not bothered about permanence. The world of print and distribute would be hard pressed to match the interactivity, instantaneousness and the customizability that the online world offers. Add the rich media possibilities of online content delivery and the argument on this side gets only stronger.

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Frankly, I believe that both sides are missing the point.

Any content distribution effort can be split into two, one being the medium and the other the method. Traditionally both of these have been so complimentary to each other –like in paper and ink that we have tended to view it as one. But the minute we split it up into two – into paper and ink, interesting new possibilities emerge.

What if paper and ink were to both mutate differently to ease the transition to an online world - into some forms of digital paper and digital ink? It is at this stage that the interesting possibilities that I talked of just a minute ago begin to crystallize.

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So, while the printed page (and ink) as we know may well be on a declining phase as a method for mass communication, what will replace it will necessarily have to offer the same, if not better conveniences and benefits.

What will that be like?

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What is required in the digital age is a display device that can provide the convenience of a printed book. Something that can be put into your pocket with ease, something you can curl up in bed with, does not require frequent recharging and something that can display digital documents – digital ink. Most likely, this digital book would acquire the digital content (ink) wirelessly and would be able to store it locally for temporary reading or for good.

Of course, there are many technological barriers and business model issues to be surmounted before this can happen.

To start with you need display systems that are as cheap as paper and offer the convenience of a book or a magazine. You need it to have bright displays while providing energy efficiency of a high order, while being lightweight. And the list goes on…

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Having the technology in place alone is not enough. As we have seen ever so painfully in the past, the business model has to be right. The most significant of the business model questions will be how do you make money from that content? And that question has not been comprehensively and conclusively answered even for the current online worlds. Will you have banner ads running across every novel? Will you have popup advertising inside your bank passbook?

And then, what about Intellectual property and rights management issues? That one area is a mess right now, with no one having any idea of which way to go and how long will it take before the going gets good.

While those issues are getting sorted out, both are learning new tricks from each other and trying their best to survive in an otherwise tough world. Heard of print on demand? That’s print learning from and leveraging online technologies.

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Till then, paper and ink in its traditional forms will continue to enjoy significant “market share.” It is only when the “method” becomes better that the “medium” will change.

(The author is the Editor of PCQuest and Living Digital)

©CyberMedia News

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