Mary Meeker’s 2018 Internet Trends Report, Teens’ Top Social Platforms, Declining Newsstand Sales, Publishers Not Ready for GDPR, Women in Media, InDesign Tip: Cross-Reference UI Enhancement
Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news, stories of interest, and tips for media industry pros! This week, we’re sharing posts highlighting takeaways from Mary Meeker’s annual Internet trends report, the most popular social platforms for teens, the ongoing decline of newsstand sales, publishers that weren’t ready on GDPR’s go-live date, and more.
Mary Meeker’s 2018 report on Internet trends is out, and as in years past, news outlets offered takeaways, with one calling it “the most highly anticipated slide deck in Silicon Valley.” Meeker, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, released her 294-page presentation on everything from mobile, voice, and cryptocurrency to tech investment, e-commerce, and subscription services (all of which—unsurprisingly—saw substantial growth). Recode and TechCrunch, among others, offer the full report on their sites, along with highlights and analysis.- And if 294 slides weren’t enough to peruse, Pew Research released its latest findings on teen social media use. The report shows YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat are now the platforms of choice among teens 13 to 17 years old, while Facebook—again, unsurprisingly—has fallen out of favor in that demographic. Compared with Pew’s previous study, in 2014-2015, smartphone use “has become a nearly ubiquitous element of teen life,” it adds, with 95% of teens having their own smartphone or access to one and 45% of teens saying they are online on “a near-constant basis.”
- Where a generational divide is especially evident is in newsstand sales, which have plummeted from a peak of $4.9 billion in 2007 to just $2 billion in 2017, according to News Group. A Forbes column notes media consolidation—with the disappearance of Time Inc., Rodale, Wenner Media, and others—means Meredith and Hearst are now in control of almost half of all newsstand sales, “pushing the newsstand into obsolescence.” But that’s only one issue, it says: Shifting consumer behavior, including use of social media by millennials to read “pieces” of articles and the distraction of mobile at checkout, where readers previously browsed newsstand offerings while waiting in line, is also a big factor in the decline.
- And finally, while GDPR was well publicized leading up to its go-live date over the Memorial Day weekend, some publishers seemed to be caught off guard. News outlets including the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, for example, locked access to “anyone who appeared to be coming from a European address” for fear of heavy fines for improper use of data, Columbia Journalism Review reported. Others, like USA Today, addressed the regulation’s guidelines by “removing some or all of the ad-related software” it uses to track user behavior for EU readers. But, the article notes, such a move could hurt publishers in the long term, since they “rely on all of those irritating ad-related tracking systems for revenue.”
On the Technology for Publishing Blog
- InDesign Tip: Creating a cross-reference is easier than ever! With a new cross-reference UI enhancement, you no longer have to select a paragraph style and scroll through long lists of paragraphs. See Monica Murphy’s tip for details.
- Our new Women in Media installment highlights Architectural Digest EIC Amy Astley’s digital success, women who are disrupting the status quo in media and tech, how CEO Bonnie Kintzer helped make Trusted Media Brands a top digital lifestyle network, NewBeauty President Agnes Chapski’s plan to fill a market void, and more.
- ICYMI: Our latest infographic pick provides a GDPR checklist of both user data privacy rights and the responsibilities of brands and publishers. Also check out TFP’s recommended reading to get up to speed on the latest SEO trends and best practices.
TechCrunch Image: Tony Avelar/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Posted by: Monica Sambataro
