I have, on occasion, subscribed to a number of magazines. Most have been because I was new to a hobby or cultivating a new interest. The most prominent of these were golf and photography magazines. More often, I would browse the magazines on the newsstand and purchase one that had an article of interest to me.
I was reading a photography magazine one time while visiting my parents back in the 70s. I was getting into photography and wanted to learn about techniques, lighting, framing subjects, and the "nuts and bolts" of the discipline. I tried to engage my father in a discussion about photography because I knew he had once had a strong interest in it, though he hadn't done much in many years. He said a strange thing to me. He told me magazines weren't of much use, that they were mostly big advertisements for products. Of course, like many of the things he told me, it took some time to sink in. But he was right.
Since then, I cannot look at a magazine in any way other than as some kind of advertising scheme. Well, except for news magazines and I have begun to wonder about them too.
A Night Unremembered
13 years ago
10 comments:
Oh, what about gossip magazines?
I can really get into one if I come across one, and there are very few product ads in those.
I think there are very few magazines nowadays that actually serve to entertain readers though. I think of its original purpose as being something similar to the purpose of blogging. To share, to read, to learn. But there's hardly a decent one of those magazines anymore.
Michael.
I stopped buying magazines when I found more advertisements than articles in the mags that I usually read.
I am afraid neither of you quite understood the thesis. The magazines themselves, the articles, the pictures, everything, are advertisements. Even gossip mags; they sell entertainers, celebrities, and the movies and concerts they are in and the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, the "toys" they play with, and so on.
Magazines are only useful when your child is doing a school project...
AV
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Yes, Argentum, much more current than an encyclopedia.
It's not just magazines in this consumerist world we live in. Even T-shirts bear logos and it has somehow become desirable to pay to advertise a make. very odd.
Jules, I blame Izod. And you've touched on a pet peeve of mine: When did we start paying someone to advertise their product for them????
My favorite magazine of all time? Smithsonian. I particularly like the print version since the layout and artwork are exceptional. However, you can gain a sense of the type of articles included by visiting: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/
Yes, Argentum, much more current than an encyclopedia.
It's not just magazines in this consumerist world we live in. Even T-shirts bear logos and it has somehow become desirable to pay to advertise a make. very odd.
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