The option to receive media digitally, rather than just
physical material, in some aspects, has altered the public’s consumption habits
considerably. Strangely enough, with regards to books, the advent of eBooks and
reader devices such as the Nook, Kindle and apps such as Audible, has pushed me,
personally, more toward the old-fashioned physical book. Although many use
computers when writing for business and school, as well as receive bills, and
personal correspondence digitally or via the Internet, I find that I shy away
from that sort of behavior with regards to reading. I prefer to sit town with a
physical book and turn pages, take notes on paper, fold down the corners of
paperbacks to mark my page, and cut out pictures, articles and perfume samples
from my favorite magazines. In contrast,
when it comes to current events, like many consumers ages 18-35, if it didn’t
come to me directly through my RSS feed , Facebook, or CNN.com, I doubt I would
ever take the time to sit down and read a newspaper.
With regards to music and movies, as Brandon Hoover
discusses in his blog: Digital downloads vs physical media: How will developing countries keep up?, “The rise of
internet capable TVs, mobile internet access, media centers (Apple TV, etc),
and services like Netflix have allowed us to watch what we want, when we want,
and often where we want .” Music streaming online via sites like Pandora and
Spotify has allowed listeners to be exposed to a variety of music that they
would never have heard should they be forced to take a chance on a CD, cassette
tape or record who’s album art caught their eye in a music store. In the past I
bought less and relied on the radio to reveal the newest trends in music. Now individuals are more active participants
in their acquisition of music, enjoying the fact that they can select individual
tracks after hearing a sample of them via iTunes or getting a taste of the
artist via Pandora. Consumers in their 20’s now seek out more and purchase more
music than in the past especially since whatever they purchase can travel with
them on a phone, laptop, or iPad. The
same can be said of movie consumption. The easy accessibility of films using
Netflix, for example, has made it less of a hassle to see a movie. Since it is
streaming there is no thought as to where to store that DVD case at the
conclusion of viewing or where to see a film if you missed it in the theater.
Our world is moving at such a pace that consumers now rely
on the instant access to all of their favorite media, however they still enjoy
dome of the physical aspects as well. For business’ sake, moving to a
predominately digital distribution will afford companies the most profit
without the upfront costs of printing/manufacturing material. This hybrid of
Print of Demand or aggregators give the consumer the option of both physical and
digital without all of the commitment. It is my opinion that at least within
the United States, Netflix and Blockbuster will move to digital distribution
only, but that bookstores will still exist because of the social (library-like)
nature of their locations. They market themselves as a comfortable place to
hang out and learn rather as just a place to get information. Bookstores will
have fewer physical locations but I don’t believe that they will move to
digital distribution exclusively. Physical media is not in danger of becoming
extinct until more of the world has access to the technology (speed, devices, accessibility) available to
us here.
