the decline of magazines

[Crunchy Col]

You can talk about which magazines you buy or subscribe to if you want, but I was more interested in them as printed media generally, how they've changed over the years, and whether there's much of a market for them these days.

You can walk into WH Smith and there are still racks of magazines for people with every kind of interest, but I don't see small crowds gathered around (and I'm sure I did in the past). So who's buying, if anyone? Are they throwing out piles of these things every week? 

And what about things like Reader's Digest? Is that still going? Country Life? Punch? These had large readerships and were very much part of our culture, but I get the strong impression that people don't really care much anymore. If they're reading them, then I guess they're doing so online - but then again I can't imagine many people paying £100 a year for a digital subscription to The Spectator. Or maybe they are...

And women's magazines? Surely they're not 'a thing' in 2019? Women's Own, Women's Weekly? Can you still get hold of Cosmopolitan? Have there been protests outside their offices?

And it's interesting that most newsagents still have the 'top rack' - but who buys porn in physical forms these days when the internet caters to every possible perversion, and it can be done discreetly?

[fonz]

All my magazines come electronically now. I read then on my iPad. I’ve got 6-7 subs, all on special offers from ZINIO or Pocketmags.

I’d accumulate so many mags it was hard to read em and chuck em.
Now they’re on my iPad. Dozens. More than I can read. It’s not the same though. I LOVED magazines. But, moving crates of the things was getting tricky.
Some of the new interactive stuff is pretty good.

[Half Machine Lipschitz]

I used to buy loads of magazines when I was a student (thinking about it now, I'm sure there were much better things I could've been spending what little money I had on...)mostly music mags, Spy Magazine, and Heavy Metal for the soft-core pornography. Nowadays you don't really see people reading magazines, although I suppose they must. My sister always has stacks of design and decorating and cooking magazines lying around whenever I visit and she lives out in the country so I assume she has subscriptions to these things. Who knows.

I used to subscribe to Harpers magazine, which was great for stories and essays and reportage on all sorts of disparate subjects, but I found their quality really took a nosedive when their editor, Lewis Lapham, left to start his own quarterly magazine, so I cancelled. It's a shame, 'cause I think it was one of the most informative things out there.

I recently read an old issue of Granta, and I think, if I were to ever subscribe to something again, it might be that, if they're still around.

[Sneelock]

oh yeah, Granta is still at it.it just costs more for the glossy paper - way more. I had a word with Greta Thunberg & she tells me this is just. I too enjoy magazines on the ol' tablet but, it's not quite the same - is it?

for years I would catch up with my magazine reading when I got my hair cut. Sadly the only magazines I see much anymore are for people who want to read about celebrities who are strangers to me and who want to see pictures of customized cars.

I still graze the Readers Digest at the supermarket check-out and it's like time has stopped. the format is more "modern" but they have the same stupid features they've had for years. "Tell us your funniest gardening disaster stories!"

I like magazines but I find letting them pile up on my tablet is much tidier than letting them pile up in my house. still, it's just not the same. I haven't really figured out how to curl up with my tablet but I'm not about to fork over the big bucks for that. I've got family members & cats. I can curl up with them.

[Sneelock]

something occurred to me. when TRUMP was running for the Republican nomination most people I know knew him from "The Apprentice" TV Show. I knew him from reading SPY magazine in the 80's. My impression of him was relentlessly negative, the people who knew him from the TV show thought he was a hoot.

I'm sure my exposure to mean spirited & satirical stories of "the short fingered vulgarian" helped me past the whole "Regis Philbin" aspect of Donald Trump that so many took to early in that process.

thanks SPY magazine!

[Sneelock]

thinking about Granta has me sort of mulling over how long ago curling up with magazines was a part of what I did with myself. where did the time go? I used to have time for reading good stuff I wanted to read, reading newspapers and magazines of interest, SF & mystery paperbacks with no eye to quality...

what I'm saying is that my life used to be full of time for reading. I know I spend a lot of time binge watching TV shows and playing "Words with Friends" but I still feel like I used to have FAR more leisure time than I do now. where did it go? how can I get it back?

[fonz]

Dec 27, 2019 15:45:45 GMT Sneelock said:

thinking about Granta has me sort of mulling over how long ago curling up with magazines was a part of what I did with myself. where did the time go? I used to have time for reading good stuff I wanted to read, reading newspapers and magazines of interest, SF & mystery paperbacks with no eye to quality...

what I'm saying is that my life used to be full of time for reading. I know I spend a lot of time binge watching TV shows and playing "Words with Friends" but I still feel like I used to have FAR more leisure time than I do know. where did it go? how can I get it back?

I gave up masturbating.

Hours...

[Sneelock]

GASP! anything but THAT!!!!!!

[Deleted]

There's no decline in Private Eye, it's a very welcome read.

The writers at Q thought this was the last edition but there's at least one more coming