No More Magazines??? Is Digital Better Than Print?

Last week I heard the news that after October this year Company Magazine will no longer be going to print and will be available online only. The first in what will probably be a long line of many, I don't think it will be too long before others start to follow. Everyone will have their own thoughts and opinions on it, but I can't help but feel a little bit sad. 

Looking back to my childhood in the 80s and 90s makes me realise how much technology has changed the world in such a short space of time. Way before iPads, laptops and PS4s I had a Commodore 64 computer as a child - games such as 'Fire Ant' were on a tape cassette and you had to play the tape to load it on to the computer before you could play it which took about 20 to 30 minutes. Before the days of iPhones and Samsungs, when I was growing up you had to use the house phone to ring your friends if you wanted to speak to them. Mobiles and texting didn't exist in my world until I was about 14, and even then my first mobile phone could only just about ring or text - no games, no apps, no internet connection.

Hearing the news about Company Magazine going digital made me feel a bit nostalgic and reminiscent about things as, sometimes, you just don't want things to change.There's something about getting a new magazine or book - the crisp, straight pages, the unbroken spine and that 'new' smell. A friend of mine absolutely adores her Kindle but it just doesn't do it for me - I much prefer a printed magazine or book to read. As someone who works at a computer screen all day, it's nice to give my eyes a break and read a printed magazine at lunch time.

Whilst it could be argued that going digital will be of benefit to the environment and will probably cut down on a huge amount of costs to the company, I do wonder how many readers will make the switch over to digital with them or will start buying an alternative magazine.

What are your views? Would you welcome a switch to digital by your favourite magazine?