For some, a magazine can seem quaint, a curious media relic of a bygone age. What’s their value in a time of podcasts, streaming video, social media, or websites? For me, their relevance has only grown as technology has advanced perhaps more quickly than our laws and ethics (and brains) can keep up.
I’ve been working on magazines since my first job in the late 1990s. I feel like I have some perspective. When I founded the Yokohama Seasider over 14 years ago, people were already saying that magazines were dead because of the digital age. Many magazines did disappear. A lot of that was not because their content wasn’t good or the format was inferior for presenting in-depth content. Most collapsed under pressure from digital advertising, which tech companies push as superior because you can track results or match your ads with desired demographics. The technology is impressive if not creepy (or even dangerous).
Corporations collect data about our lives and movements. When hackers steal that data–and they always find a way–what do they do with it? Social media spreads misinformation quickly and dangerously. Studies show that our brains cannot emotionally process the flood of information, either. I don’t deny the convenience of the internet and its potential for good, but too many of us seem to have forgotten… well, all the curious media relics that were also good.
A magazine is a chance to take a breath, read, and reflect. That’s important for building a sense of community. As an NPO, our goal is to strengthen our Yokohama community and so we publish the Seasider. Sure, we have a website and social media, but believe a magazine is an important feature of any healthy community. We hope you will support us (and thank our advertisers) so we can continue our mission. We, in turn, thank you.