by Sammy Clough
When I was a kid I checked my mailbox at home every day after school hoping that the next month’s issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids was there. I collected issues with cool covers and once even got featured for a joke I submitted! Now, instead of anxiously anticipated printed sports content in my content in my mailbox, I go online for almost all of my sports consumption. From my narrow worldview, I would have told you that nobody reads magazines anymore. However, that is not the case in the slightest.
According to a 2018 study, over 100 million people read ESPN the Magazine, making it the most read in magazine in the United States. Not only did that astound me, but the next most magazine, People, has over 87 million readers. From this poll alone I learned that yes, people still read magazines. But another piece that I learned was that the top two magazines in America are both entertainment magazines, which brought me to the conclusion that magazines must be entertaining.
Excluding ESPN the Magazine, a large portion of entertainment magazines are focussed on the lives of celebrities. Here, we have magazines like the aforementioned People, US Weekly and Entertainment Weekly, just to name a few. These magazines make their living reporting on (sometimes haphazardly) the lives of celebrities. While their numbers are in the tens of millions, these magazines are still seeing declining numbers in recent years. One of the biggest and most obvious reasons is the evolution of the internet. Now, people can find out about the biggest breakups, scandals, and drama instantaneously on Twitter. In the past, magazines thrived off breaking stories, but they just can’t compete with the speed of the internet anymore. In a Forbes article, one former magazine editor suggests that magazines should focus more on detailed packages and profiles rather than being behind the new every week.
However, editors adjust their content in this new internet age one thing is for sure: entertainment magazines will remain a staple of our culture. Don’t expect to see iPads with e-magazines in your doctor’s office lobby any time soon. Americans like to be entertained, and a huge source of that comes from magazines.
Sources:
Media and Entertainment 
I wholeheartedly agree with this analysis, Sammy! My mom still reads People and Us Weekly magazines pretty regularly, and I grew up seeing her do this and love a good gossip magazine every now and then. I have seen this switch from breaking-news articles to articles of longevity and investigative stories within People and other magazines. I think the Baby Boomers and Generation X will continue to be loyal magazine purchasers, but it will be interesting to see what happens as iGen grows up. – Audrey Rotman
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I completely agree with this post. I worked for a PR company this summer and a big part of my job was getting clothing featured in various publications. What I quickly figured out was that we weren’t necessarily trying to get coverage in physical magazines but rather their online publications. I definitely think people still buy magazines but the accessibility of online content makes it difficult to keep up. I also think that what Audrey said about Baby Boomers and Gen X is interesting cause from my point of view, our generation has a nostalgic tinge to it and seeing how we (and those younger) accept and interact with print media will be very interesting.
-Eliza Watkins
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