Home
About
In the world where technology serves as a convenience store to the human race, is there little hope left for the printed word? What does the future hold for magazines, newspapers, and books in the middle of its gyrating competition with their electronic counterparts? Witness history as eleven students take the challenge to voice out their opinions on the status of the print industry. Read, listen, see and believe.
The Fine Print is an online publication owned by a group of Communication Arts students from De La Salle University Manila in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course subject Introduction to Print (INTPRIN). Any unauthorized distribution of content indicated in this site will be heavily penalized.
Categories
Posts by Contributor
Sponsors
The Fine Print, in cooperation with Read the Printed Word, would like to encourage you avid readers to join the campaign in preserving the good old way of reading.
Information
The views expressed in this website are attributed to its respective authors and do not necessarily represent The Fine Print and De La Salle University - Manila. Special thanks to Afeeqah for the website layout. Copyright 2012-2013.
|
The 'Death of the Book'
written on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 @ 3:49 PM ✈
Ma. Czarina D. Garcia
Prof. Randy Torrecampo
December 12, 2013
INTPRIN A51
The ‘Death
of the Book’
As much as the ‘Death of the Book’ may
seem like a phrase taken straight out of a recent novel set in a dystopian
future, this infamous media assumption is not a new one; in fact, it has been a
consistent prediction made subject by critics and scholars in their literary
works over the past 19th and 20th century (Price). Books
have always been viewed as an important, esteemed and revolutionary medium
because not only have they been around for generations but they have also
served a variety of purposes in society throughout the course of history (i.e.
disseminating information, stories, doctrines and etc.). Moreover, the fact that
books are easily accessible, portable, inexpensive and permanent makes them significant
when it comes to transmitting and communicating messages to large diverse
audiences (Dennis and DeFleur 36). With the coming of the digital age, technology
continues to rapidly progress which, consequently, allows them to play a bigger
role in almost all aspects of society. Marketing innovations and the
advancements in technology (such as the merging of mediums into particular
devices) have made more people much more reliable on media and have also made
it increasingly difficult for them to appreciate the nature of books and the irreplaceable,
unique and inherent qualities that only it possesses (Dennis and DeFleur 37 ). With
all of this in mind, it is important for us to understand the current problems
of the book publishing business (with the help of the Media Dependency Theory) and
what this entails for the future of long-term reading and the traditional printed
book format.
Before we go any further, what
exactly is the ‘book’ in the infamous ‘death of the book’? Based on the research,
the so-called book in the infamous phrase not only pertains to the traditional,
printed book format, but also to the long-form attention of reading. According to Alan Liu (as cited in Muri 132),
the book is less of the tangible-material object and is:
More like a cultural desideratum: “A long form of attention intended for the permanent,
standard, and authoritative—i.e., socially repeatable and valued—communication
of human thought and experience (usually through narrative, argumentative, or
other programmatic organizations of bound-together-yet-discrete textual,
graphic, and haptic elements).
With the definition of the
book being a ‘long-form attention’, this presents a contradiction to the
present reality of e-books wherein (through
its digital ability to allow hyperlinks into the text and implement other forms
of distractions) they allow readers to absorb and take on shorter-forms of
reading (short-texts) instead of long-form ones; thus, this propagates shorter
attention spans from people (Solsman). With more individuals making the shift
to e-books as seen in this year’s growth of sales (Bury), this could present an
evident problem not just to the existence of the printed platform, but to
people’s (especially the youth) focus to long-term material (Stone). This
undergoing circumstance illustrates the expansion of a culture that values
speed and connectivity—but at the consequence of being easily distracted and
fickle minded.
Disability to focus or
retain long-form attention and retain the printed word is an evident consequence
of the digital age in which we all live in today. People have become more
reliant on technology due to the fact that in the era of post-PC computing
(iPads and smart-phones), computing has been made more casual, easy and
intimate as compared to its predecessors, the laptop and the personal computer
(Choney). As a result, people have learned to become more dependent on them when
it comes to making decisions in their everyday living. This is where the Media
Dependency Theory enters the picture. The Media Dependency Theory created by
Melvin DeFleur and Sandra Ball Rokeach (Baran and Davis 288-289) asserts that
the more one has their needs met by media, the more influence media will have
in their lives. People’s inclination towards devices such as the iPad and the
smart-phone, wherein various mediums have been merged together for purpose of convenience,
have made people seek other devices that could also meet their needs in other
aspects of their lives in order to make things simpler and more fitting to
their tastes—and one of these is in the act of reading books.
According to Stone, at present
current innovations such as “e-readers, cell
phones, and other gadgets, Amazon, Google, sluggishly evolving publishers, Facebook- addicted teenagers, people who pirate books, and
perhaps even the susceptibility of the human brain to various distractions,”
are hastening the demise of the book. Attitudes, behaviours and technological
phenomenon brought about by the internet/digitalization are changing the
landscape of the book. Not only are peoples’ growing dependency to media contributing
to the book’s decline, but issues such as the rise in demand for e-books, digital
piracy, the increasing popularity of buying second-hand books, and the demand
for free news and low price rates of reading content by young consumers are negatively
affecting the traditional publishing industry (Bury). Furthermore, the e-book is
drastically changing the publisher’s traditional business models and has been
allowing authors to publish under their own name; this consequently, has traditional
publishers cutting author advances significantly (Shepherd). The direct control
e-book publishing has given authors have made it all the more competitive for
publishers as there is a rise in the number of authors and books being produced.
Considering
the present issues that the book is currently facing as a result to the growing
e-book industry, the future of the traditional book seems bleak with
professionals from the print media industry predicting the continuance of
e-book sales growth and influence.
According to HarperCollin’s UK Head Charlie Redmayne (as cited in
Rankin), e-books will continue to play a big role in society. Sales of the
traditional book and e-book are shown to be inversely proportional to one
another as sales of the traditional, printed book continue to decline whereas
digital copies are rising and are now accountable for more than one fifth of
sales. He expects that demand for the e-book would continue to grow before
hitting its peak of constituting approximately 50% of all book sales. In order
to counter this, Redmayne focuses on building brands of emerging authors;
however, Redmayne and other media experts suggest the accepting of this change and
encouraging the industry to think beyond the e-book and the audio-book by
producing various digital content for devices (such as apps, games and videos)
is needed in order to attract new readers who he says, might feel more
comfortable with the iPad more than the bookshop. Muri (135) claims that one
should not refuse the fact that digital books are eclipsing that of the print
and traditional type. Instead, we must learn how to embrace it and seek ways to
make it better and capture the beneficial qualities that only its print
equivalent could impart to its readers.
Although the future of the
traditional book may look bleak—especially with modern technology making tasks like
reading and book buying quicker and simpler—media practitioners claim that the
complete extinction of the book would not happen in the foreseeable future… at
least not yet (who knows in a century’s time this would change). There is still
hope. We may not be able to prevent the shift to a more digital platform and only
time will tell when the world would have fully shifted to an electronic form of
reading; however, long-form engagement with reading books (whether it may be
digital or printed), can survive as long as they are thoughtfully used (Stone).
Although there are benefits to digital reading devices, nothing should ever
substitute long-form reading—for it provides clarity of thought, and is
necessary to democracy and freedom. Long-form reading and writing is at the
core of our individuality and requires us to engage with the text so that we
may be able absorb the experiences and knowledge the words wish to leave to
impart on us.
So who says the book is dead? It may be
dwindling, but it is still alive and it is fighting back. Long live the Book!
References
Baran,
Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations,
Ferment and Future. 6th ed. Wadsworth Publishing, 2011. 105-108. Print.
Bury,
Liz. "Ebooks and discounts drive 98 publishers out of business." The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. <http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/04/ebooks-discounts-98-publishers-closure>.
Choney,
Suzanne. "The IPad at 2: 'Huge Impact' on Our Lives." NBC News
Technology. NBC News, 6 Mar. 2012. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Dennis,
Everette E., and Melvin L. DeFleur. Understanding media in the digital age:
connections for communication, society, and culture. New York: Allyn &
Bacon, 2010. Print.
Muri,
Allison. "Twenty Years After The Death Of The Book: Literature, The
Humanities, And The Knowledge Economy." English Studies In Canada 38.1
(2012): 115-140. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Price,
Leah. "Dead Again." Sunday Book Review. The New York Times, 10 Aug.
2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/books/review/the-death-of-the-book-through-the-ages.html?_r=0>.
Rankin,
Jennifer. "HarperCollins UK boss tells publishers: take storytelling back
from digital rivals." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 21 Nov. 2013.
Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/20/harpercollins-charlie-redmayne-publishers-storytelling-digital>.
Shepherd,
Lloyd. "The death of books has been greatly exaggerated." The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 30 Aug. 2011. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/aug/30/death-books-exaggerated>.
Solsman,
Joan. "Kindle sales get bigger, and Amazon e-books get shorter." CNET
News. CBS Interactive, 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57614478-93/kindle-sales-get-bigger-and-amazon-e-books-get-shorter/>.
Stone,
Brad . "Documentary Film Investigates the (Alleged) Death of Books."
Technology. Bloomberg Business Week, 10 May 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-10/documentary-film-investigates-the-alleged-death-of-books>.
Labels: books, czar
|
The 'Death of the Book'
written on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 @ 3:49 PM ✈
Ma. Czarina D. Garcia
Prof. Randy Torrecampo
December 12, 2013
INTPRIN A51
The ‘Death
of the Book’
As much as the ‘Death of the Book’ may
seem like a phrase taken straight out of a recent novel set in a dystopian
future, this infamous media assumption is not a new one; in fact, it has been a
consistent prediction made subject by critics and scholars in their literary
works over the past 19th and 20th century (Price). Books
have always been viewed as an important, esteemed and revolutionary medium
because not only have they been around for generations but they have also
served a variety of purposes in society throughout the course of history (i.e.
disseminating information, stories, doctrines and etc.). Moreover, the fact that
books are easily accessible, portable, inexpensive and permanent makes them significant
when it comes to transmitting and communicating messages to large diverse
audiences (Dennis and DeFleur 36). With the coming of the digital age, technology
continues to rapidly progress which, consequently, allows them to play a bigger
role in almost all aspects of society. Marketing innovations and the
advancements in technology (such as the merging of mediums into particular
devices) have made more people much more reliable on media and have also made
it increasingly difficult for them to appreciate the nature of books and the irreplaceable,
unique and inherent qualities that only it possesses (Dennis and DeFleur 37 ). With
all of this in mind, it is important for us to understand the current problems
of the book publishing business (with the help of the Media Dependency Theory) and
what this entails for the future of long-term reading and the traditional printed
book format.
Before we go any further, what
exactly is the ‘book’ in the infamous ‘death of the book’? Based on the research,
the so-called book in the infamous phrase not only pertains to the traditional,
printed book format, but also to the long-form attention of reading. According to Alan Liu (as cited in Muri 132),
the book is less of the tangible-material object and is:
More like a cultural desideratum: “A long form of attention intended for the permanent,
standard, and authoritative—i.e., socially repeatable and valued—communication
of human thought and experience (usually through narrative, argumentative, or
other programmatic organizations of bound-together-yet-discrete textual,
graphic, and haptic elements).
With the definition of the
book being a ‘long-form attention’, this presents a contradiction to the
present reality of e-books wherein (through
its digital ability to allow hyperlinks into the text and implement other forms
of distractions) they allow readers to absorb and take on shorter-forms of
reading (short-texts) instead of long-form ones; thus, this propagates shorter
attention spans from people (Solsman). With more individuals making the shift
to e-books as seen in this year’s growth of sales (Bury), this could present an
evident problem not just to the existence of the printed platform, but to
people’s (especially the youth) focus to long-term material (Stone). This
undergoing circumstance illustrates the expansion of a culture that values
speed and connectivity—but at the consequence of being easily distracted and
fickle minded.
Disability to focus or
retain long-form attention and retain the printed word is an evident consequence
of the digital age in which we all live in today. People have become more
reliant on technology due to the fact that in the era of post-PC computing
(iPads and smart-phones), computing has been made more casual, easy and
intimate as compared to its predecessors, the laptop and the personal computer
(Choney). As a result, people have learned to become more dependent on them when
it comes to making decisions in their everyday living. This is where the Media
Dependency Theory enters the picture. The Media Dependency Theory created by
Melvin DeFleur and Sandra Ball Rokeach (Baran and Davis 288-289) asserts that
the more one has their needs met by media, the more influence media will have
in their lives. People’s inclination towards devices such as the iPad and the
smart-phone, wherein various mediums have been merged together for purpose of convenience,
have made people seek other devices that could also meet their needs in other
aspects of their lives in order to make things simpler and more fitting to
their tastes—and one of these is in the act of reading books.
According to Stone, at present
current innovations such as “e-readers, cell
phones, and other gadgets, Amazon, Google, sluggishly evolving publishers, Facebook- addicted teenagers, people who pirate books, and
perhaps even the susceptibility of the human brain to various distractions,”
are hastening the demise of the book. Attitudes, behaviours and technological
phenomenon brought about by the internet/digitalization are changing the
landscape of the book. Not only are peoples’ growing dependency to media contributing
to the book’s decline, but issues such as the rise in demand for e-books, digital
piracy, the increasing popularity of buying second-hand books, and the demand
for free news and low price rates of reading content by young consumers are negatively
affecting the traditional publishing industry (Bury). Furthermore, the e-book is
drastically changing the publisher’s traditional business models and has been
allowing authors to publish under their own name; this consequently, has traditional
publishers cutting author advances significantly (Shepherd). The direct control
e-book publishing has given authors have made it all the more competitive for
publishers as there is a rise in the number of authors and books being produced.
Considering
the present issues that the book is currently facing as a result to the growing
e-book industry, the future of the traditional book seems bleak with
professionals from the print media industry predicting the continuance of
e-book sales growth and influence.
According to HarperCollin’s UK Head Charlie Redmayne (as cited in
Rankin), e-books will continue to play a big role in society. Sales of the
traditional book and e-book are shown to be inversely proportional to one
another as sales of the traditional, printed book continue to decline whereas
digital copies are rising and are now accountable for more than one fifth of
sales. He expects that demand for the e-book would continue to grow before
hitting its peak of constituting approximately 50% of all book sales. In order
to counter this, Redmayne focuses on building brands of emerging authors;
however, Redmayne and other media experts suggest the accepting of this change and
encouraging the industry to think beyond the e-book and the audio-book by
producing various digital content for devices (such as apps, games and videos)
is needed in order to attract new readers who he says, might feel more
comfortable with the iPad more than the bookshop. Muri (135) claims that one
should not refuse the fact that digital books are eclipsing that of the print
and traditional type. Instead, we must learn how to embrace it and seek ways to
make it better and capture the beneficial qualities that only its print
equivalent could impart to its readers.
Although the future of the
traditional book may look bleak—especially with modern technology making tasks like
reading and book buying quicker and simpler—media practitioners claim that the
complete extinction of the book would not happen in the foreseeable future… at
least not yet (who knows in a century’s time this would change). There is still
hope. We may not be able to prevent the shift to a more digital platform and only
time will tell when the world would have fully shifted to an electronic form of
reading; however, long-form engagement with reading books (whether it may be
digital or printed), can survive as long as they are thoughtfully used (Stone).
Although there are benefits to digital reading devices, nothing should ever
substitute long-form reading—for it provides clarity of thought, and is
necessary to democracy and freedom. Long-form reading and writing is at the
core of our individuality and requires us to engage with the text so that we
may be able absorb the experiences and knowledge the words wish to leave to
impart on us.
So who says the book is dead? It may be
dwindling, but it is still alive and it is fighting back. Long live the Book!
References
Baran,
Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations,
Ferment and Future. 6th ed. Wadsworth Publishing, 2011. 105-108. Print.
Bury,
Liz. "Ebooks and discounts drive 98 publishers out of business." The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. <http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/04/ebooks-discounts-98-publishers-closure>.
Choney,
Suzanne. "The IPad at 2: 'Huge Impact' on Our Lives." NBC News
Technology. NBC News, 6 Mar. 2012. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Dennis,
Everette E., and Melvin L. DeFleur. Understanding media in the digital age:
connections for communication, society, and culture. New York: Allyn &
Bacon, 2010. Print.
Muri,
Allison. "Twenty Years After The Death Of The Book: Literature, The
Humanities, And The Knowledge Economy." English Studies In Canada 38.1
(2012): 115-140. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Price,
Leah. "Dead Again." Sunday Book Review. The New York Times, 10 Aug.
2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/books/review/the-death-of-the-book-through-the-ages.html?_r=0>.
Rankin,
Jennifer. "HarperCollins UK boss tells publishers: take storytelling back
from digital rivals." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 21 Nov. 2013.
Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/20/harpercollins-charlie-redmayne-publishers-storytelling-digital>.
Shepherd,
Lloyd. "The death of books has been greatly exaggerated." The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 30 Aug. 2011. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/aug/30/death-books-exaggerated>.
Solsman,
Joan. "Kindle sales get bigger, and Amazon e-books get shorter." CNET
News. CBS Interactive, 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57614478-93/kindle-sales-get-bigger-and-amazon-e-books-get-shorter/>.
Stone,
Brad . "Documentary Film Investigates the (Alleged) Death of Books."
Technology. Bloomberg Business Week, 10 May 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-10/documentary-film-investigates-the-alleged-death-of-books>.
Labels: books, czar
|
How It All Began
The realization of a goal began one chilly September night of 2013 in Mr. Randy Torrecampo's Introduction to Print (INTPRIN) held at M206 of De La Salle University - Manila. The multi-talented and energetic Student Media Office director instructed the class to produce a final output as a showcase of their learnings on the status of the print industry. Since then, this group of eleven of DLSU's finest in the field of Communication Arts have taken their talents online by expressing various viewpoints on newspapers, books, advertisements, magazines, and digital media. And this is how The Fine Print came to be, aiming to explore the word one step at a time.
Who's Who
Sir Randy is the senior editor of The Fine Print and probably one of the few singing professors in the face of this spherical Earth. The moment he belts out the Aladdin theme song, his enchanting voice makes the world stop for a while because for they "don't want to miss a thing" (Aerosmith, 1998).
Bryan is the sole male staffer in this online publication. He is very passionate with the mass media industry and a renowned speaker.
Candice is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is currently the web manager and also a major contributor to this fine publication. She enjoys writing and eating at the same time.
Czar is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor in this fine publication. She likes to travel, create videos, and go on adventures.
Mona is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She has a really enchanting singing voice that makes everyone's hearts beat faster in addition to taking breathtaking photographs.
Erika is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She loves to draw anything that tickles her fancy.
Issa is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She is a dancer with a renowned Philippine dance group who has also appeared in several short films and music videos.
Madi is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She is passionate about fashion and indie music.
Rio is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She is an aspiring graphic artist and filmmaker.
Maisie is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She enjoys entertaining audiences with her killer dance moves.
Marielle is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She is a wonder whose size does not hinder her from being a charm to the people around her.
Sammie is a female staffer of The Fine Print who is a major contributor to this fine publication. She is an aspiring filmmaker and considers Samantha Jones of HBO's Sex and The City as her queen.
|
my sunshine
links exchanged opened! just tag me but link me first
|
link
coming soon....
|
