Print versus Screen Presentation Medium-Dependent Picture Consumption

Abstract

We all have experienced the move from print to screen with the advancement of digital technology. We see college-aged young adults use their laptop for many things that previously involved print. This gives rise to many questions, including: Which medium do these young adults prefer? Are information consumption and retention different based on the viewing medium? Does the medium preference change depending on whether people look at a magazine or at photographs that they took? The authors conducted three related projects aimed at taking the first steps toward identifying and understanding the differences in how information is consumed from print on paper versus computer display. Each project encompassed experimentation and an interview with the participants. Part I: An Experimental Study of Presentation MediumDependent Differences of Picture Consumption by College-Aged Adults, focused on understanding the viewing preferences, printing behavior and content management behavior when the observers were looking at their own photographs. Part II: An Experimental Study of Differences in Viewing Photo Books by Presentation Media: Print versus Screen dealt with various aspects of participants viewing a magazine-style publication that was heavy on photographic content.