Ah yes, loved reading this - saved the full report to properly dive into later. Which is exactly what I think we're after: more considered, active & intentional consumption and less of the mindless 'wtf am I doing?' scrolling. There's deffos a shift to slow and I fully believe that'll continue as genAI kicks up (90% of all content expected to be genAI in future) and we seek tangibles and offline relief. I wrote about that too but honestly, feel so spammy adding the link so come find me I guess! ✨
So fascinating! I feel like one thing that's nice with text media is that you don't tend to engage with it unless you're actually interested, whereas images just have to grab your attention for an instant and so don't need as much actual value.
Tried pitching zines and written formats for high level artist projects multiple times and was met with so much resistance. People aren’t ready but they will be soon!
Such a great read! I can tell you took your time gathering the data, and it was fascinating to hear everyone’s perspectives. I’ll definitely be reading the full report later. We’re definitely in a resurgence of slow creating. People are tired—they’re craving something that lasts longer than a fleeting moment. This print revival feels like part of an unspoken shift, almost like a collective factory reset. Fast-paced consumption was never sustainable because we’re human, and we’re made for something deeper than a dopamine rush.
An example that comes to mind is Merit’s campaign rollout for their new fragrance. One of their primary marketing mediums was print, and it didn’t feel gimmicky or like textbook marketing. From their collaboration with Emily Sundberg of Feed Me to commissioned poetry by Fong-Min Liao, and even a limited-edition book in partnership with Gentlewoman magazine—you could tell they wanted to communicate the level of intention & nostalgic inspiration that went into the product development through their storytelling. Choosing print as the medium felt like a genius move, honestly.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Joannah! I was also curious about the Gentlewoman x Merit collab. Another brand I've seen do something similar is Aplos - they've commissioned art and poems for a coffee table book that goes along with their products. I get a little nervous when creatives center their own brands in projects like that though, it feels a little more like merch and less like a cultural contribution this way. But if done wisely, I think things like that could be really cool artifacts :)
I have a light phone 2 because social media was making me depressed. Also, I received a physical newsletter in the mail from The Luddite Club and it was very exciting to get a physical zine in the mail.
Really great article, really insightful! You mention the rise of GenAI which will increase visual fatigue. How do you see GenAI impacting text-based content? Do you think LLM tools will democratize writing the same way Instagram did for photography? Do we risk facing the same type of fatigue for word base content in the future? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Could just be the stillness of words, on a page, that gives our restless minds space to breathe and connect
Ah yes, loved reading this - saved the full report to properly dive into later. Which is exactly what I think we're after: more considered, active & intentional consumption and less of the mindless 'wtf am I doing?' scrolling. There's deffos a shift to slow and I fully believe that'll continue as genAI kicks up (90% of all content expected to be genAI in future) and we seek tangibles and offline relief. I wrote about that too but honestly, feel so spammy adding the link so come find me I guess! ✨
linking some good pieces from Caitlin for everyone else: https://nouvot.substack.com/p/wont-anyone-think-of-the-people and https://nouvot.substack.com/p/less-volume-more-value
Aw merci! Hugely appreciated 🥹
So fascinating! I feel like one thing that's nice with text media is that you don't tend to engage with it unless you're actually interested, whereas images just have to grab your attention for an instant and so don't need as much actual value.
well we do have headlines haha but largely true!
Tried pitching zines and written formats for high level artist projects multiple times and was met with so much resistance. People aren’t ready but they will be soon!
they will be!
Such a great read! I can tell you took your time gathering the data, and it was fascinating to hear everyone’s perspectives. I’ll definitely be reading the full report later. We’re definitely in a resurgence of slow creating. People are tired—they’re craving something that lasts longer than a fleeting moment. This print revival feels like part of an unspoken shift, almost like a collective factory reset. Fast-paced consumption was never sustainable because we’re human, and we’re made for something deeper than a dopamine rush.
An example that comes to mind is Merit’s campaign rollout for their new fragrance. One of their primary marketing mediums was print, and it didn’t feel gimmicky or like textbook marketing. From their collaboration with Emily Sundberg of Feed Me to commissioned poetry by Fong-Min Liao, and even a limited-edition book in partnership with Gentlewoman magazine—you could tell they wanted to communicate the level of intention & nostalgic inspiration that went into the product development through their storytelling. Choosing print as the medium felt like a genius move, honestly.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Joannah! I was also curious about the Gentlewoman x Merit collab. Another brand I've seen do something similar is Aplos - they've commissioned art and poems for a coffee table book that goes along with their products. I get a little nervous when creatives center their own brands in projects like that though, it feels a little more like merch and less like a cultural contribution this way. But if done wisely, I think things like that could be really cool artifacts :)
I have a light phone 2 because social media was making me depressed. Also, I received a physical newsletter in the mail from The Luddite Club and it was very exciting to get a physical zine in the mail.
Really great article, really insightful! You mention the rise of GenAI which will increase visual fatigue. How do you see GenAI impacting text-based content? Do you think LLM tools will democratize writing the same way Instagram did for photography? Do we risk facing the same type of fatigue for word base content in the future? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you, Pierre! I cover most of this in the full report: https://www.busycorner.xyz/text-media-report :)