Are we really going to see printed media giving way to electronic distribution? I'm beginning to think so, after looking at
Zasshi and the upcoming
MAGASTORE. (These names, by the way, are awful.) Not to mention the runaway success of the Kindle. And of course, as a purely electronic columnist, I have to consider my personal experience. Besides, manga magazine sales continue to decline, and something's got to step up to replace them -- those disposable phonebooks are too much a part of the culture to vanish without a digital echo.
I wouldn't have believed it, though, even with all the signs and portents I've named. Hell, I still don't believe it, but I'm forced to at least entertain the idea, and it starts seeming more and more plausible the more I try to imagine it. I only say that nothing could replace paper because paper's all I've known. Silly.
It's not happening yet, of course. And being ahead of the curve, in our imperfect world, is indistinguishable from being wrong. The technology isn't there yet to replace my books, and the support infrastructure to make these things convenient doesn't quite exist, despite the efforts of distributors.
But there's nothing impossible about it any more. It could happen. Not quickly, and not painlessly, but it's become possible through what seems like sheer force of will. That's at least four years out, though, in my opinion. In the meantime, I'll keep right on with my collected dead trees.
words from chris, 2009-09-15 00:25:35, los angeles
