#printisnotdead

With progressing technologies and the world becoming more and more digital with every passing day, it’s easy for us to assume the art of print and books themselves will soon become obsolete. Books stores are closing down. eBooks are on the rise. Reading books has become more of a chore for youth rather than being a source of entertainment. The “print is dead” argument as we have discussed in class at the moment seems quite valid and strong.

            But wait! It can’t be! How can it? Books have been with us for centuries and have never quite gone out of style. I can’t imagine a world without books or even a world in which they are novelty items. Maybe it’s because I’m a part of one of the last few, if not the last, generations to not have been born into this digital age. Sure, modern technology and Internet did exist in the nineties but it wasn’t as prevalent or as “all-consuming” as it is now. I think modern technology, Internet, and other digital activities sort of grew up with us. We didn’t grow up with eBooks or iPods. When we were children, we read books and listened to CDs. So our generation may be the last generation to have any sort of strong attachment to such physical formats of entertainment.

            And it seems as if I am not the only one who feels this way about print becoming a dying breed.

            Last night during our final presentations, one of my classmates discussed the whole #printisnotdead campaign. This campaign was started by people in their 20s and 30s who are trying to bring awareness to the fadeout of print and trying to bring it back. I found this to be very interesting considering how the general assumption about this generation is that we’re so absorbed and consumed by the Internet, our smart phones, social media, etc. that we don’t care about the printed word.

            It’s one thing to say that you don’t want to see print die out but it’s another to actually do something about it. I’m glad that someone actually took the initiative to do something about this fading art and that this movement has gained some sort of traction with young people today. I hope that it continues to gain support as we push towards this digital age so that we don’t forget the art and joy of printed works.