culture
Requiem for the Paper Textbook
This is a refreshing take on the paper-versus-bytes debate that usually puts paper on the side of protecting jobs and the economy. And that’s because the protagonist in this story is the tax-paying public and their children, not the publishing industry that serves the public. Of course, the irony here is that the story is published in The New York Times, which continues to lose readership, revenue, and physical pages. When I picked up the Sunday edition this morning I was shocked; it was almost as light as the daily edition from years back. These are painful times, but as the Times article today suggests, there’s a bright side to the story about digital publishing that’s worth exploring. We’ve known that all along, but let’s thank the Times for the reminder.
Who Will Speak Up About “Distracted Driving?”
This is the post-2.0 era, where so many issues cannot or will not wait for a brand to the lead the conversation. But from my perspective — the perspective of a communications consultant who often advises companies on both their opportunities and duties in public affairs — it really doesn’t matter who speaks up first. We are all guilty parties to this affair. Who among us has never picked up a phone behind the wheel and dialed or texted or emailed or taken a photo, all the while knowing that it’s reckless — perhaps criminal — to do so when operating a one-plus ton piece of machinery on wheels? Like drunk driving, distracted driving may have to claim more lives before we all care enough to take serious action. Hope we will not have to wait long this time around. But device addiction, like many other post-2.0 consumer behavior, is rooted in a great need to stay connected, in a world that demands we stay connected. This is not going to be easy.
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