Research Article Open Access

Print Fashion Magazines and the Digital Native Generation

Abstract

Over the years, digital media platforms have gained popularity and widespread usability among the digital native generation. In fact, there is a general perception in public discourse that the rise of new media technologies has conversely triggered a drastic decline in popularity and usage of print media. To challenge this perception, this article uses the case of print fashion magazines to argue that some kinds of traditional print media are still popular with the digital native generation. The article examines trends in the consumption of fashion magazines with particular focus on the conduct of digital natives. For the purpose of this article, the study applies the Uses and Gratifications theory to explore the extent to which print fashion magazines are still relevant to the digital native generation. The article used a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews to collect data from digital natives who consume (buy or read) fashion magazines. Evaluating the impact of print fashion magazines on digital natives is useful because it is likely to help fashion magazine publishers to devise innovative ways to meet the expectations of digital natives. The findings of the study show that while most participants consume fashion magazines from digital platforms, a significant number still prefers print fashion magazines.

Mncedisi Mbombo*, Amukelani Muthambi

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