Contributors: Amanda Kangsadjaja, Billy Kirchgessner, Cate Rose, Grace Wang, June Woo
Project Mentor: Joe Germuska
<aside> <img src="/icons/reorder_gray.svg" alt="/icons/reorder_gray.svg" width="40px" />
Table of Contents
</aside>
For centuries, magazines have been one of the most popular and influential forms of media in the U.S. They have documented history, including the beginnings of new eras of literary art, like Gonzo Journalism and New Journalism, and fostered community through publications like Jet and Ms., both of which connected readers who had previously been excluded from mainstream media. Over time, the content and look of magazines have continually shifted to accommodate new trends and community gaps.
Yet, with the advent of the internet, it’s possible the era of the traditional magazine is leaving for good. People are no longer looking to this form of publication as a major source of news or entertainment. Magazines aren’t just competing against each other but with social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, X — and the list keeps growing. These new methods of sharing information have complicated the way we view magazines. Publishing content has become as accessible as clicking a button, and so has viewing said content. Magazines and magazine-like content can now be seen in more forms than ever before, from digital sites to individual accounts on social media apps.
📍Chicago-Main Newsstand
So when magazines no longer look the same, how do we define what a magazine truly is? How can they survive and retain their purpose in an unstable industry?
These are all questions we attempt to answer in this “meta-magazine” — a series of articles, each of which tackles a different aspect of what we believe defines the “spirit” of a magazine. Grace Wang explores how magazines continue to bring people together, while Cate Rose tackles the looming giant of social media by interpreting it as a new embodiment/platform for magazines rather than a threat. Later on, Amanda Kangsadjaja examines past and current economic models to determine how publications might profit when many advertisers have turned toward more lucrative online opportunities. Billy Kirchgessner analyzes the various distribution channels magazines can and should use to maximize audience engagement. This is just a glimpse at the type of content you’ll find in this guide.
Ultimately, through this meta-magazine, we hope to offer insight into how magazines might continue to survive and prosper in the 21st century. More profoundly, we also hope you’ll come away with a reconstructed, expanded notion of all that a magazine has the potential to be.
“Never underestimate the intelligence of the reader.”
“Be commercially quiet. Have sponsors, not advertisers.”
“Pay attention to the details. Stay alert to the fact that erosion occurs subtly.”
“Quality. Quality. Quality.”
— Debbee Pezman, publisher of The Surfer Journal, on the secret to success
So knowing all that we know now, we want to discuss what exactly the 21st century magazine looks like. Here are some trends and structures we believe will shape magazines now and into the future. This list is not exhaustive but encompasses what we found to be most notable.
Similar to the return of vinyl, we don’t foresee print going extinct. In fact, print continues to hold value for both readers and advertisers, as we see companies returning to print and the emergence of new products like the bookazine or special interest publication (SIP).
Examples: