Explore the diverse functions of magazines and learn how these print publications inform, entertain, inspire, and build community connections in our society.
Functions of Magazines;A magazine has different functions from other magazines. It depends on the information contained in it.
The word entertainment is so general and so all inclusive that it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between what informs and what entertains. Much that is informative can be entertaining and vice versa, and what entertains one person may bore another. Normally, to entertain means “to divert” or “to amuse”
The problem in analyzing the entertainment function lies in knowing how to discriminate between the worthwhile and the cheap, tawdry’, and perhaps harmful. Some magazines, eg.. relate, both in fiction and nonfiction, perverted stories of romance and divorce that either portray marriage as a glamorous adventure where there are no problems or as an abyss of trouble Stories of this type, it is believed by many, cause real harm among immature readers. Some magazines publish stereotyped detective or mystery stories involving crime and violence.
To Inform
All three general categories of magazines mass, class and specialized fulfil this function certain magazines in each of the three categories fulfil this function almost exclusively, for example, the National Geographic which has mass appeal
The informative function is the chief one for the many specialized periodicals that appeal to practically every trade, business, and profession there is. The specialized periodicals are the only ways carpenters, druggists, teachers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, engineers, architects, and the like can keep up with their vocation and special interests, other than through conferences and conventions.
To Comment
When considering the commenting function, one thinks of it almost exclusively in relationship to current events But it can pertain also to aspects of home life, television and motion picture personalities, aspects of learning and teaching, and the like. The nature of comment is controlled by the type of magazine and its traders.
The same standards that are applied to the commenting function of newspapers may be applied to magazines, articles that comment should be accurate, fair, and readable. Because magazines, like newspapers, have editorial policies, you should understand them and observe how the editors present information that may agree or disagree with these policies.
To Advertise
Most magazines, like newspapers, could not exist without advertising, the average newspaper or magazine derives more than three fourths of its income from this source. This is the reason that a number of large – circulation magazines folded when more and more of the advertising rupees went to television for a cheaper per person cost.
Advertising produces results for both the advertiser and the consumer It certainly reduces the cost of the magazine In addition, it stimulates our economy, making mass production possible and reducing the costs of products advertised. In a way, advertising makes possible our standard of living.
E-Magazine
Nowadays, people call it the digital age because of the very rapid development of internet networks and the increasingly sophisticated use of smartphones, which has finally given rise to a new innovation for magazines, namely E-Magazines.
E-Magazine or electronic magazine is a term for a magazine in electronic form that can be read via smartphone or laptop. Currently, many publishers publish their magazines in two versions, namely the printed magazine version and the electronic magazine version to make it easier for readers to access them.
Function of Magazines for Publishers
- Magazines as a medium for organizational learning
- Magazines as a communication medium
- Magazines as promotional media (with product advertisements included in them)
- Magazines as a medium for channeling talent in the field of writing
- Magazines as an investment vehicle
. Function of Magazines for Readers
- Magazines as a source of information
- Magazines as a communication medium
- Magazines as a channel for everyone’s aspirations (with a special column to publish the aspirations of each person who sends them to the editor)
- Magazines as sowers of democracy
- Magazines as a promotional media
- Magazines as a reading-writing based learning media
- Magazines as a medium for channeling talent in the field of writing
- Magazines as a source of creativity
- Magazines as entertainment