Print media still influential within the technology industry

Ireland’s Digital Times published a great article yesterday about the ever-present influence that print media still holds over the technology industry. The article cites a survey by Eurocom Worldwide and reports that the printed medium is still very much used by technology executives in the industry.

The survey measured 664 senior executives in technology with businesses collectively spanning more than 30 countries. The findings described how 70% of executives read print journals at least once a month, and 48% read print journals at least once a week.

Regarding technology industry news source material, 76% used online media. The second most widely used source is print journals at 42%, then national newspapers used by 38% of executives.

According to Ronnie Simpson from Simpson Financial and Technology PR, the Irish agency that helped conduct the analysis,

“These findings suggest that despite the increasing influence of online, there continues to be an appetite for specialist print media.

“While magazines and newspapers are experiencing competitive pressure from online news sources, they still appear able to attract readers.”

With regard to online news sources 30% use various social media sites, while 26% use blogs for gathering information. The survey also found that 87% of technology executives used desktop devices like laptops or PCs to access online news, 54% used mobile phones, and 16% used tablet devices.

Simpson hints that a better user experience surrounding news accession may entice readers to pay for content. Although the content is the same, the format of its delivery may be the saviour of the traditional print industry,

“It will be fascinating to see if tablet devices such as the iPad become a saviour for traditional print media publishers and whether the better graphical user experience will encourage readers to pay for this.”