tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12725467.post-58445103218933732412008-01-14T22:55:00.000-05:002008-01-15T00:13:24.985-05:00Recently, I came across a blog post in a more finance-oriented blog that related to <a href="http://avc.blogs.com/a_vc/2008/01/what-my-kids-te.html">the future of media</a>. The blogger, aware his sample size of his own three children don't really <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">constitute</span> any <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">meaningful</span>, scientific source, didn't really come to any conclusion, but rather to several suppositions about the future of media.<br /><br />The post is rather interesting with respect to all media and entertainment types, but naturally I was really interested in what the written word. Here's what he said from his finance point of view:<br /><blockquote><p>- mass market magazines might be undervalued. [...]<br />- books may be the one category of media and entertainment that aren't<br />disrupted by digital technology. or maybe we just haven't seen the technology<br />that will do it. i honestly don't know. and i don't know how the book business<br />is faring versus five or ten years ago. but at least in my family, books are<br />still a growth sector.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>I've compared my own sample size of 8 nieces and nephews (the ninth is three-month old tomorrow, so I didn't count her yet :). With respect to digital media, the post was bang on. With respect to magazines, I didn't find a similarity. As for books, I find that depended more on the house the kids grow up in, but most are avid readers.</p><p>Alas, statistics is not proving our small sample size. Americans (not sure if that represents "world," but it was easiest to find) are indeed <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-11-18-reading-decline_N.htm">reading less</a>, as I think we've all been feeling. Interestingly, "<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312130,00.html">teen fiction is a rapidly expanding category</a>," but that can be attributed, at least in part, to Harry Potter. Overall, there is a decline in sales according to the National Endowment for the Arts report. One saving grace is that reading scores among nine-year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">olds</span> are soaring.</p><p>So, what is the future of books and reading? Would there be alternatives to fiction?</p><p>I'm pretty sure print will not decline in favor of digital books, which is fine -- reading is reading -- but fiction itself - will anyone be reading?</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/12725467-5844510321893373241?l=allkindsofwriting.blogspot.com'/></div>Mellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17461471128865537538noreply@blogger.com3