Slow Journalism's Rob Orchard on why 'digital fatigue' will spark a print revival
Print is making a comeback as smartphone users experience “digital fatigue” looking for more thoughtful content, claimed Rob Orchard, director of Slow Journalism Company’s Delayed Gratification publication whilst speaking to The Drum at DigitasLBi’s UK NewFront event.
As the head of the quarterly title, Orchard said Delayed Gratification has completely disavowed any position in the real-time, 24 hour news cycle, instead investing in extensive, retrospective journalism once the dust has settled on world events.
Proudly boasting Delayed Gratification’s position as the title “Last to Breaking News,” Orchard explained that established brands are diluting their well-earned reputations with “rehashed press releases, commercialised content, [and] insidious advertorial” - all driven by the ad supported model.
He added that the rise of digital-first journalism resulted in marketers “flailing around trying desperately to find ways to fund journalism and stave off disaster”.
The mass shift from paid print (and online) reports, supported by the purchase power of consumers, to the solely ad supported model, means brands and content creators start “seeing the reader as just a pair of eyes,” he said arguing a colossal number of viewers are required to support quality writing.
On what Delayed Gratification is instead offering, Orchard commented: “What I’ve seen in the last year is the pendulum starting to swing back [to longform print],” blaiming a phenomena he calls “digital fatigue”.
With smartphones having swept the world half a decade ago, people are starting to see the value in a quality curated print offering: “People want to step away from the white noise, wanting something a little more nourishing and indepth and a little less throwaway…”
He concluded: “I hope were swimming in the right direction, even if that is against the tide.”