Advantages and Disadvantages of Print and Social MediaPrint media is one of the best and most commonly used means of advertising and passing information today. The most popular forms of print media are the newspapers and magazines. Social media has emerged as the trendiest medium of passing information in the recent past. The benefits of social media are not limited only to social networking but also to professional online networking and as a marketing platform for business men (Rolland and Parmentier, 2013). Both the print and social media offer great opportunities for interaction and passing of information to individuals, organizations, and businesses to interact effectively with friends and target audience. The choice of which type of media to use for a given purpose should be guided by the benefits and drawbacks of using each of the methods as is discussed in this paper (Sandoval and Fuchs, 2014).The print and social media have both advantages and disadvantages. This paper will analyze benefits of print media such as credibility and effectiveness in terms of reaching a target group in a certain geographical area. In addition the print media enables planning of the cost to be incurred in advertising and in formulating the most appropriate article for a given audience. This medium cannot, however, be used to convey information real time and is also limited in terms of cost effectiveness (Rolland and Parmentier, 2013). Social media has emerged as an easy but effective medium of communication. It is very cost effective and is able to reach a wide range of audience. However, the medium exposes organizations to cyber-crime and lowers the productivity of workers who engage on the social networks like Facebook (Rolland and Parmentier, 2013).The use of print media has several benefits as compared to other mediums of communication. Newspapers and magazines have loyal readership unlike other methods such as the internet. Some people enjoy starting their day with a cup of tea and a copy of newspaper as they catch up with what is happening around the world (Sandoval and Fuchs, 2014). Consequently, magazines have registered members who acquire regular editions through subscriptions depending on the frequency of production. This implies that it is easy to predict on the size of potential audience and plan for a given advert or article when using print media (Sandoval and Fuchs, 2014).According to ierean (2010), print media uses well researched and presented articles that enhance the levels of credibility unlike article in the social media. Most people are likely to trust information found on newspaper articles and advertisements as compared to those found online. The online medium is open for anybody including imposters to post anything on their accounts.ierean (2010), points out that print media are more engaging to readers since they are tangible unlike other mediums such as the internet. Readers attention is involved as they turn the pages looking for their favorite articles, images and advertisements. They are, therefore, more likely to capture more details of what is presented on the publication as compared to internet and television.Rolland and Parmentier (2013), notes that it is possible to get an estimate of the pricing per every newspaper placement as they provide media kits and rate cards. They also provide information on the characteristics of their target audience in terms of how to make an advert more appealing and their buying behavior. This makes it easy for planning and developing of effective articles and advertisements.Print materials are more readily available than most other types of media like the internet and have a longer lifespan. Newspapers are available at the It is very possible with print media to reach only to a specific target market (Fuchs & Sandoval, 2014). For instance, one is able to reach to people of a certain locality by use of a local newspaper. This is also an effective way of cutting on the cost involved unlike when using other methods (Rolland and Parmentier, 2013).A study by Evans (2008), shows that social media is considerably cost effective and easy to use than other forms of media. The method allows one to reach out to a bigger audience through the use of the internet at a very minimal cost. Other forms of media require expertise and long procedures for one to be able to pass information. The social media is accessible to most people even through the use of internet enabled phones.Social media presents a platform through which one is able to reach a bigger size of audience. Individuals, organizations and businesses are able to reach out even to international audience at the comfort of their offices and homes. This is almost impossible or extremely expensive in the case of other forms of media such as television and radio (Evans, 2008).According to Allen and Wylie (2013), social media also offers an opportunity to organizations and businesses to interact with their target audience and offer responses where required. Clients are able to ask questions, raise concerns, and share experiences through networks such as Facebook and Twitter. This creates a good platform where of sensitization and creating of awareness as well as the sharing of ideas.Allen and Wylie (2013), points out that through social media businesses and organizations are able to attract attention into premises, sites, products or services. It can also be used to create loyalty and lasting relations with clients and business partners. This can be achieved by creating links to websites on the social network sites or providing contacts for further clarifications.Print media can be expensive depending on the popularity, readership, history, production cost and the frequency of publication. Smaller publications that are cheaper may not reach a considerable size of audience. The print materials are also out of reach to certain groups of people due to distribution hurdles (Allen and Wylie, 2013).Sandoval and Fuchs (2014), notes that some print publications run once a month or quarterly and this offers a problem in terms of booking for space in advance. This implies that advertisements have to adhere to the publications schedule and not by the advertisers desired dates. It would be impossible, therefore, to use this medium to communicate emergencies or to convey an urgent awareness.According to Sandoval and Fuchs (2014), print media do not run real time as they take time for production, printing, and distribution. This implies that the information may reach the audience when it is already out of date. The method cannot be used to broadcast real time events as is the case with radio and television.Chambers (2013), points out that wrong use of use of the online medium could cause dire consequences to users or businesses. Mistakes done online, for instance, the use of inappropriate photos and posting of sensitive information online could damage the reputation of an organization greatly since it is likely to reach a considerable number of audiences.According to Chambers (2013), social media is also likely to lower workers productivity as they spend more time chatting on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The workers are also likely to use the social media to damage the reputation of the organization. The social medium also has some dire consequences to the performance of students who spend a lot of their time of Facebook and twitter at the expense of their studies.Social media is only available to people who have an access to internet. Information conveyed through this means is only able to reach those with computers or internet enabled phones. People in most rural areas have no access to internet and are likely not to get information conveyed through social medium (Chambers, 2013).In conclusion, social media offers a powerful platform for individuals, businesses, and organizations to convey information and interact with others from all over the world at considerably low costs. It is easy to create and to an online account. Social media is both a platform for easy and advanced marketing and networking, and the greatest revolution of our century. However, the medium is not without drawbacks as it is not a very credible source of information. Print media is a very popular medium of conveying information and has been in use for a long time. The medium is trusted by most people since articles and advertisements posted on it are well researched and presented. The medium also enjoys a loyal readership and this guarantees a wider audience. Print media is limited by the fact that it is not able to breaking news with the urgency that television and radio does.ReferencesAllen, L. A., & Wylie, M. C. (2013). Managing and collecting social media for e-discovery. , (3), 22-26.Chambers, D. (2013). . Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Del Giudice, M., Carayannis, E. G., & Peruta, M. (2013). . Cham: Springer.Evans, D. (2008). . Indianapolis, Ind: Wiley.Fuchs, C. & Sandoval, M., (2014). . New York, NY: Routledge.Hendricks, J., & Noor Al-Deen, H. S. (2012). . Lanham, Md: Lexington Books.Rolland, S. E., & Parmentier, G. (2013). The benefit of social media. , (6), 809-827.Sandoval, M., & Fuchs, C. (2014). . New York, NY: Routledge.Svatoov, V. 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