Paper in the Digital Age: A Paradox of Tactility and Global Connection
In an era where smartphones replace wallets and our lives move increasingly online, the interest in printing and paper seems like a paradox. Yet, in Milan, a city of creativity and fashion, places like Frab's and Reading Room are thriving, celebrating the independent magazine. These spaces are not just stores; they are cultural hubs where a niche of enthusiasts can touch, browse, and discover the value of a tangible editorial experience, running counter to the speed of digital consumption.
As Francesca Spiller of Reading Room explains, this trend is not simple nostalgia for the past but a phenomenon driven by a new generation of creatives between 25 and 30 years old. For them, the independent magazine is a perfect "entry-level" gateway into the publishing world: for an accessible price (around 20 euros), it offers a variety of visual and textual content that a book doesn't always have. The key to its success, however, goes beyond the cost. The reduced price doesn't come at the expense of quality. Magazines like System, curated and printed with an almost obsessive dedication, prove the powerful role of paper as a collectible object. The magazine doesn't just tell stories; it becomes a physical artifact to be kept and admired, a work of art with its own physical identity.
This search for the concrete and tangible stems directly from the deep and pervasive digitalization that has permeated every aspect of our lives. Feeling a need to hold onto something real and visual, people are rediscovering the beauty and uniqueness of a physical object. Paper has imperfections, textures, and a three-dimensionality that are inevitably flattened and sanitized on a screen. In a world where every pixel is perfect and detached, the tactile experience of flipping through a magazine, feeling its weight, and smelling its ink, fulfills a primal need for materiality—an experience that the online world cannot replicate.
The dichotomy between the two worlds is not a conflict, but a strategy. Modern brands use the online space for mass communication and speed, while independent magazines are used to convey a curated, tangible identity, strengthening the bond with an audience that seeks a more intimate and lasting experience.
If the print magazine is an expression of depth and tactility, the digital ecosystem represents speed and global connection. Brands don't choose one path at the expense of the other; they use them in a complementary way to achieve different goals and engage with different audiences.
The online world excels at providing content with a speed that paper cannot match. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok allow brands to launch campaigns, broadcast live fashion shows, and reach millions of users instantly. Brands like Jacquemus have built a large part of their success by leveraging the power of social media's immediate visual impact, creating viral buzz and resonance in a matter of hours. Digital media eliminates geographical and economic barriers, offering unlimited access to anyone, anywhere. Beyond speed, the online world also provides an unprecedented level of interactivity and measurability. Every click, view, and comment can be tracked, allowing brands to understand the effectiveness of their campaigns and optimize their strategies in real-time. This direct and immediate feedback is essential for an industry that moves at such a rapid pace.
An emblematic example is Bottega Veneta under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy. While other brands focused exclusively on their digital presence, Blazy showed a strong interest in the independent world by producing high-quality zines alongside his collections. These publications are not simple catalogs but genuine editorial projects that reveal the designer's creative process, his inspirations, and his collaborations with artists and photographers. In this case, the zine becomes a collectible object, a medium to communicate depth, values, and a refined aesthetic—elements that a simple social media post can hardly convey with the same effectiveness.
The digital-analog dichotomy is therefore not a conflict between past and future. It's the essence of a hybrid strategy where each medium has a precise role. The online world offers mass and immediacy; paper offers depth and intimacy. It highlights the awareness that for a truly complete experience, the detached perfection of the screen needs the materiality and imperfections of paper.
