Magazines used to be the main fodder of information for most to read up on hobbies and interests from automobiles to sports, fishing to golfing, technology to business and the list goes on. I say “used to be” because now it seems that almost everyone sources for information on the internet. I’m not saying magazines are dead, far from it, but they seem to have become a lower priority for many, and often viewed as good ‘time-killers’ on the train to work and perhaps in the bathroom too.
Technology magazines especially consumer tech publications have mostly all migrated their content to online platforms. In Asia, we see huge following and readership on CNet Asia and HardwareZone, 2 excellent portals for techies who want to know it all when it comes to the latest info on tech gizmos, user reviews and tips and tricks. As the internet becomes more interactive and feature-rich (videos, pictures, applications etc), the attractiveness of using such portals for information increases by leaps and bounds. Definitely the appeal of having such information readily and at the easy click of a mouse has already enabled a massive following for information online, but this is set to further increase as the functionalities and capabilities on the web grows. While watching video reviews on consumer products are already available, it is just a matter of time when a fully interactive platform to trial and test a product would be made available.
While the age of magazines have yet to pass, the era of internet ‘magazines’ has perhaps heralded the decline in print readership. Will the internet kill it off? I doubt it, just as video didn’t kill the radio star.