The Digital Age

By Colin Date

I feel a certain comfort knowing that you’re reading this column in an actual magazine, printed on actual paper, delivered to your door. Why? Because this means Chevy Classics is a real, flesh and blood (you know what I mean) magazine. It’s not made up as pdf, or digitalized in some “click to turn the pages” online-only format, as many other automotive magazines seem to be nowadays. I’m glad our magazine is of the printed variety, and I know most of you are, too.

Don’t get me wrong, I know there are many great magazines and publications out there online, but that’s it– online, no print.  And I know that seems to be the way the world is going, too. Most of us have kids or grandkids who seem to be perfectly smug in reminding us of that fact. But most of us grew up with printed magazines, we never knew any different. We took for granted that at the end of our hectic workdays, we’d be sitting comfortably in our favorite chair, deeply engrossed in whatever we were reading. We sure didn’t envision sitting in front of a computer or tablet (or smartphone, even) trying to enlarge the story so we could read it. No, there’s something very comforting knowing print is surviving, and at Chevy Classics, thriving. Case in point: When I was at the recent Chevy Classics 38th Annual Convention in Norman, Oklahoma, I had many people tell me they loved the fact that we didn’t succumb to the digital-only format. I even had a comment like this voiced to me from a young man who appeared to be in his twenties. This made me feel pretty darned good.