Publishing in its most simple form is the practice of bringing to the attention of the public information that may have previously been unknown. There have been many devices that have facilitated the act of publishing throughout time, progressing from basic facial expressions and proclaiming, to writing and drawing, to printing and recording.
But with the rise of the digital age comes a new and significantly different way in which information can now be shared. Not only has the digitisation of information made information more accessible, but also it has magnified the abundance of and diversifies the scope of publishing. Essentially, today just about anyone can be a publisher. This blog for one is an example of content that I have published. Other online platforms in which I have also taken on the role of the publisher includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Digitising information has threatened printed material, altering the way in which content is being published today. What once was considered one of the most important inventions, the printing press, is in decline. As Will Self (2014) observed, “Fewer paper books are being sold, newspapers fold, bookshops continue to close, libraries as well.” In today’s society, magazines and newspapers articles are all readily available online for consumption, and almost instantaneously at that. Nothing beats being able to pick and choose which articles to read and which ones to skip – sports articles anyone?
The growing popularity of digital texts, including e-books and audiobooks, sees the waning of the physical book; “It’s never been easier to buy books, read books, or read about books you might want to buy” (Lehrer, 2010). Although I agree that nothing can beat the feel and smell of the pages of a brand new printed book, I can also appreciate that sometimes it is far more convenient and lighter to carry around an e-reader than a physical book. Furthermore with e-readers, we can create networked books which provide a whole new world of opportunities for the publishing industry. As introduced in the Week 1 Lecture, Inkling Habitat is an example of a publishing tool in which digital content can be created. “Unlike the printed book, the networked book is not bound by time or space. It is an evolving entity” (Institute for the Future of the Book). The e-reader is definitely yet another publishing opportunity in which to add to the wealth of knowledge that is already available.
References
‘Publishing’, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publishing>.
Self, Will (2014) ‘The novel is dead (this time it’s for real)’, The Guardian, May 2, <http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/02/will-self-novel-dead-literary-fiction>.
Lehrer, Jonah (2010) ‘The Future of Reading’, Wired, September 8, <http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/09/the-future-of-reading-2>.
‘Mission Statement’, Institute for the Future of the Book, <http://http://www.futureofthebook.org/mission.html>.
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