This is not a post about that flat device. Really.
In January, I joined a sketchy crowd that mumbled, “Devices will not save publishing“. Apple launched one anyway.
In the time since I first wrote about devices, the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism has published its annual report on American journalism (13 chapters, printable from the web).
If you’re crunched for time and can’t read the full report, check out this pretty cool infographic. The story about what will save publishing shows up at the bottom of the chart.
The study found that 61% of the respondents read the news online. Of that 61%, 37% have contributed to the creation or dissemination of news or commentary. A quarter have commented on a news story, a sixth have posted a link on a social media site, and one in 11 have created their own content.
That’s the future of publishing: the ante for a subsequent conversation. Some of that conversation will improve the value (and price) of published content, and some of that conversation may be monetized. It will take place across many devices, with the future favoring ones that support two-way exchanges.
So, devices saving publishing? It’s still reader madness.
