It's Tuesday: 5 Things About the World of Magazines and Media - Issue #41
Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” is a staple of high school English classes. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the term “Brave New World,” and Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" where the phrase came from. I've been asking myself this question: Have we really entered into a Brave New World?
Are we on the verge of a giant technological leap forward powered by AI and alternative energy sources? Will our society finally recalibrate into something more equitable and positive for all classes, races and sexes? If you look closely, you can see the outlines here and there.
But then there is the new war in Europe, the forgotten wars in the Middle East and Africa. We have famine and hunger on all the continents. And, as is often the human condition, we forgot to keep the scourge of authoritarianism and prejudice and bigotry at bay.
I vaguely recall reading somewhere that Huxley came up with the idea of his dystopian society as a way to poke at some other novelists who had written utopian novels that were so popular at the time. Here in the third decade of the 21st century, dystopian novels are very popular in the YA book category. I challenge you to spend a few minutes on political Twitter where you’ll find plenty of people who suggest that somewhere along the line, we have slipped into an alternative, dystopian timeline.
Life’s not a movie, or a book. But I do admit that at times I’m not so thrilled with the current timeline. So let’s get up off of the couch, get busy, and get our timeline back on track.
Let's dig into some news. Maybe that will help:
1___Marie Claire Ukraine: Fashion Writers Have Become War Correspondents
‘Fashion Writers Are Now War Correspondents’: Marie Claire Ukraine’s Editor On Its Vital Role | The Drum — www.thedrum.com Marie Claire Ukraine’s editor-in-chief Iryna Taterenko says her team of journalists – more used to writing about celebrities and fashion trends – have found themselves on the frontline covering the conflict in the country. She shares her story on The Drum Show.
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This is a remarkable story of perseverance in the face of overwhelming disaster. It also reminds us of the ability humans have to quickly adapt and do something extraordinary. Extraordinarily good, that is.
Check out the magazine's Instagram timeline. The quick transition after February 23 shows you how fast this publisher made the switch.
2___Are NFTs the Future of Our Economy? Prof Galloway Has a Few Thoughts
NFT Unpack | No Mercy / No Malice — www.profgalloway.com
Last week, Mark Zuckerberg announced NFTs are coming to Instagram. What does that … mean? The announcement was a word salad of platitudes, so we don’t know how the Zuck will bolt this latest thing onto his Frankenstein product structure.
I’ve been reading about magazine publishers getting into NFTs and the skeptic in me could not help shaking my (d*mn) head and wondering how we got to this point.
This brilliantly simple explanation from the author showed up in my Friday feed. As I sometimes do when I find an engrossing piece of writing, I wound up on a tangent that taught me a few more things.
Will NFTs work? They could. Are they part of the future of Web 3.0? Maybe. The real question in my mind is if everyone will get a chance to participate? Or, will this simply be more stuff that's controlled by a select few who have no interest in sharing power, wealth, privileges or resources.
You know, like a dystopia.
3___About that Brandon Sanderson Kickstarter...
Brandon Sanderson’s Message to Publishing Is Mostly a Message About Himself — gizmodo.com The best-selling author has worked hard to get where he is, but will his success trickle down to the authors that really need a break?
Very Quick Thoughts on Brandon Sanderson’s Mega Kickstarter | Whatever — whatever.scalzi.com
Context: Brandon Sanderson, who has been a #1 New York Times bestseller as co-writer of the Wheel of Time series and his own Stormlight Archives novels, announced a Kickstarter
I’m a longtime sci-fi/fantasy fan of author Brandon Sanderson. He creates very intricate worlds and cultures. I find his characters fully realized and relatable.
While I was aware of his “Dragonsteel Books” company, I was not aware that he had done Kickstarters before or the level of his merchandising prowess (Yes, I'm a sci-fi/fantasy but not that kind of a fan!). So this piece by Gizmodo took me to another favorite author’s blog: John Scalzi. He put into words what some of my research on this phenomenon was telling me - and as a professional writer, he said it way better.
4___Axios Local Continues to Expand. But Where?
Axios Local, bringing 'Smart Brevity' to a town near you: Growing from 14 to 25 cities by year's end 2022 — www.editorandpublisher.com Local news publishers may have a wary eye on Axios, now in 14 cities and adding 11 more by years' end. Axios Local reports 700,000 subscribers with Charlotte their largest city and Denver, the Twin Cities and Tampa Bay each nearing the 100,000 marks. Open rates for their newsletters are reported between 30 and 55 percent.
I think it’s great that Axios is investing in local news. The Axios Chicago newsletter is one that I make it a point to open every day.
However, I have to ask: Is it right that the localities these media companies are investing in are areas that have engaged clientele and legacy local media in place? How about trying to invest in areas that have no local media?
5___McKinsey Report: Shoppers Behaviors Have Changed Significantly Since Pandemic Started
The five zeroes transforming retail | McKinsey
Recent trends show that consumers now demand much more than value and convenience--and tolerate fewer shortfalls.
It's entirely possible that you read this headline and thought, "Yeah, no kidding." But the report is engrossing.
The last thing I ever expected to do was to cite a McKinsey report. But this is one case where you can honestly say that my own personal experience meshes nicely with some of the features in this report.
The question should be, for publishers who remain on the newsstand or rely on print subscriptions: Are we aware of these changes in habit? Is our own industry responding to those changes in habits in a way that will actually ignite sales? How can we motivate our readers to get our products while shopping in these new patterns?
Asking for a friend...
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OK, enough scrolling the links. Time to get to work. Or at least, look busy. You never know when the good folk at HR will turn on that that ActivTrak software to see what you're up to. Go get it done!