Later on Wednesday after class, I went to Barnes and Noble in the pursuit of some magazines. I stood in front of their wall to wall display of glossy stacks of paper, and truly considered what I valued in a magazine. I’ve had subscriptions to varying magazines all my life, starting with Babybug as a toddler up to Teen Vouge as a preteen. My parents subscribed to Entertainment Weekly, National Geographic, Family Fun, Rolling Stone… the list goes on. What I’m getting at is that I have always been exposed to the literature of magazines, and the idea that people just don’t read them any more seemed absurd (sorry to call you out Zach). The thing is, there’s a magazine for everyone. That’s why they’re appealing and accessible.
While I currently don’t subscribe to any magazines (I did until Nylon stopped printing their monthly issues though you bet I’m on their website weekly), there are ones I tend to pick up when I have the inclination to. They’re a bit of a splurge item, quick and consumable, a little on the pricey side, like a nice muffin and coffee. And they cover every kind of topic you could want. Tattoos? Sports? Gothic Lifestyle? Quilting? Metal music? Graffiti? Northeastern fishing? Alien conspiracies? Cars? Intersectional feminism? Buff guys? Scantily clad women? Kids’ crafts? All that and more, readily available on your local B&N (or local, independent bookstore).
While social media has definitely removed the ‘current’ aspect of magazines which has kept them popular for so long, they still have the advantage of running longer stories, advertisements, photo spreads… listen, they’re still keeping writers in business so. I’ll keep buying and supporting these glossy hunks of trees that are great for hacking up for collages once they’ve been read over a few times.
As an after note- I ended up buying two of my favorites and a new one that I’m already in love with: Hi-Fructose, Oh Comely, and No Man’s Land.
I also think its a bit crazy to think that people don’t read magazines like they used to anymore. In my own experience, I’ve found that people who say they don’t care for magazines often indulge in magazine-esque content in a new form. Snapchat’s Discover page is filled with material that replicates nearly all of the old media’s best and worst habits. Some publications from the olden days have even adapted to the new platform including Teen Vogue, People, and IGN. They feature the same personality quizzes and insider gossip, but somehow don’t compare to a physical publication. There isn’t the same satisfaction of flipping pages and tearing out pages of ads or heartthrobs. It also eliminates the serendipitous moment of finding an amazing article amidst filler words and pictures. I’m inspired to go out and pick up a few magazines just to be reminded of everything that physical copies have to offer.