Chapter 2
In: Protestant Periodicals in Transition
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Abstract
The specialized nature of magazine publications presents a powerful approach for the distribution of Christian messages. Magazines—both secular and religious—are presented with financial and technological challenges in today’s contemporary publication world. The Internet has introduced disruption to information distribution, shifting access in the amount, size, and type of data now available. Almost half of the population of the world does not have computer access to the Internet. To complicate the matter more, accelerated growth of mobile access by some of the more inaccessible people groups around the globe jumps the once labeled “digital divide.” So what are Christian magazines to do in order to share their message and to survive in this new and complex world of publishing? This is the space where many publishers across the African continent find themselves. Exploring, primarily through interviews the realities of several Christian magazines, this research seeks to identify the role that technology plays in maintaining the community of religious readership in countries on the African continent. Is a digital presence necessary for Christian publishers of magazines to be connected to their audiences today? Do the challenges seem to take away from the message of the publication? This research explores these questions in this region of the world.