Editor's comment: You heard it here last

Here’s a straw poll for all our readers to take part in: is there still the love out there for the hardcopy version of Aerospace Manufacturing magazine?

I ask because it seems the good old-fashioned paper copy is fast becoming out of step with consumer trends. Nowadays, the majority of folk prefer to procure their content online. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s on the go - it helps you keep pace with modern technological trends. Like the paper broadsheet newspapers I prefer to read in bed on Sunday morning, we’re no longer reading today what’s yesterday.

I’d argue that consuming feature-length articles on smart phones and tablets isn’t the most leisurely and engaging reading experience. There is a tendency to scan through the content and miss some vitally important information.

And how much do you truly value your eyesight? Well-known high street opticians will be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of today’s youth becoming the myopic generation of tomorrow. I can literally feel the muscles in my eyeballs straining when I read something on my smart phone.

The digital method of getting our advertising message to market is gradually rendering the paper copy obsolete. Going online has given some publishers enough rope that they’ve hung themselves and ruined it for everybody. Paywalls and pleas to ‘fund’ their publications are a testament to that.

Ultimately, it’s all down to personal choice in how we consume our information. The trick for today’s publishers is in the way they monetise their digital offerings to complement the paper copy. There’s an awful lot of digital noise out there – and a lot of awful digital noise too. And can you really trust what you read online? Has paper-based communication now become a non-value adding activity? The choice is yours.