I’ve been trying to convince my wife – an editor at a major print magazine – we just don’t need the print version of the New York Times delivered to our home. Finally, my wife conceded and we cancelled home delivery today. I’ve argued steadfastly that the print product:
- is extremely cumbersome
- requires the killing of too many trees
- requires delivery which requires petroleum which puts carbon dioxide into the air and contributes to global warming
- requires pickup and recycling which further requires petroleum which puts carbon dioxide into the air and contributes to global warming
- is dirty
- is nearly impossible to open and read on busy subway commute
- too quickly becomes clutter in our apartment
- is too much content printed versus how much is actually read
- doesn’t have all the functionality of the Web and RSS versions
- is redundant with the Web, RSS delivery and search
With the biggest media offender of waste and clutter out of our life, I now need to get her in the same mindset to conquer the roughly 75 print magazine subscriptions she has clogging our mailbox. And considering her profession, we better think through what this trend means for her career!
Oh…don’t get me wrong, I love and often hate the New York Times! The content – not the physically manufactured product – will remain a part of my daily media consumption.