They describe it as a natural shift towards the interest of the future generation. All these companies are riding the same bandwagon and justifying their decision with statements like 'embracing a digital-only future'. However, has their decision to shadow the millennials by eliminating print from their strategy worked?

My grandmother still gets up early in the morning to sit outside with her daily newspaper whereas I've given up watching television because I can't tolerate watching the same advertisements for copious amounts of time. This unmistakably indicates the way media is consumed by different generations living under the same roof. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to actually witness such stark differences in habits and consumption patterns. Yet, even with the constantly growing indicator of digital first everywhere, the print media has survived and still has strong support from its loyalists.

People will say "sticking-up for the side of print media is like creating a '90s feel' Instagram account because you can't find a cure for your anachronism".

Well, to some degree, they aren't incorrect, but that doesn't mean I won't still prefer the paperback version of that 'Winds of Winter' when it is released.

What I'm trying to say is that, as a millennial or Gen Z, we might not write long letters to our beloved or bury our noses under a huge newspaper, nonetheless, there is still a place for print in our lives. I also realise the irony of having digital readers for this piece whilst vouching for revival of print, but hear me out when I say "why reinventing the way print media is consumed is important".

Jeff Gomez in his 2007 book "Print Is Dead: Books in Our Digital Age" states that "whether this comes in the form of getting news online, reading a blog, or contributing to a wiki, the general population is shifting away from print consumption, heading instead to increasingly digital lives".

Fast-forward to 2020 and his words are true. We have become heavily dependent on technology, but that doesn't mean people have totally abandoned their love for printed books.

In a recent study by surveymonkey.com, when people were asked about their preference for e-books over print books, 40 per cent of the respondents said they preferred print, 50 per cent said they preferred both and only 10 per cent responded that they preferred only e-books. Hence, even with people denouncing the print media, there is still a place for co-existence, or as Hannah Montana, the American teen sitcom, would say, "Best of both worlds".

Over the years, we have read about numerous companies shifting their focus to their digital audiences.

They describe it as a natural shift towards the interest of the future generation.

All these companies are riding the same bandwagon and justifying their decision with statements like 'embracing a digital-only future'. However, has their decision to shadow the millennials by eliminating print from their strategy worked? By studying the effects of online-only move, the researchers have found that post print audience attention and reader engagement dropped by 72 per cent for the UK's New Musical Express (NME) magazine.

This study also concluded that if the publications moved to online-only platforms, it would be difficult for the online editions of periodicals to get the instant attention which its counterpart received.

Hence, the main question is: "What makes print media more engaging?"

And considering the amount of digital chaos we already are encountering, we don't need to fry our brains to answer this; print has become the unique way to engage our audiences.

For instance, people will label the emails describing a new product as junk or spam, but when they receive a package in their direct mail, they'll stop and immediately open it. The immediate customer engagement with the package increases the chances for conversion. Hence, package printing has become the golden child of print media.

In the ad campaign called Nivea Sun Kids: The Protection, the company attached a paper wristband to the magazine, which could be worn by children on the beach. The parents just needed to sync the mobile application with the band, which would then send messages, alerting them if the child went wandering beyond the set limit.

Nivea's wristband print ad was one of the best examples of combining print media and digital platform to make lasting impression on the consumers.

Furthermore, unlike the paid contents on digital platforms like Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and the Economist that only cater to contents written for professionals, the print media, like magazines and newspapers, are more successful in getting the attention of people with more general interest.

This increases the chances of having a larger and more diverse audience.

When there is any conversation about the future of print, we can hardly ignore the current health crisis.

The COVID-19 virus has crushed the hopes and dreams of many, including the print media. However, even before this crisis, people had already perceived the print media as a dying breed. Yet, when I think about print in Nepal before the COVID-19 crisis, it didn't seem to be struggling like it did in many developed nations.

As stated by Bhanu Bhakta Acharya,a researcher on media ethics and accountability, "Print media dominates the Nepali media landscape in terms of number of publications; as such, the print media plays an influential role in the socio-political milieu."

I think Acharya's words perfectly describe the situation of print media in Nepal before the health crisis.

However, considering the current predicament of our country, the move towards digital platforms is the most obvious solution, but there are also people like my grandmother who can barely dial a 10-digit phone number let alone start reading newspapers online. Therefore, for people like my grandmother and those who genuinely love the print form of media, it is crucial that we breathe new life into the print platforms because it is the element that is preserving our present for the future.

Over the years, we have read about companies shifting their focus to their digital audiences.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 3, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.