Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: Wired Magazine
ISSN: 1059-1028 (Print)1
Website: http://www.wired.com/magazine/
Purpose, objective, or mission: Per the website, “Wired is the ultimate authority on the people and ideas changing our world.”2 The magazine examines technology and its effect on all aspects of culture, from social and recreational to business and politics.
Target audience: Readers who have an interest in technology and its effect on cultures worldwide.
Publisher: Conde Nast Publications Inc. and Wired Ventures Ltd.3
Peer reviewed? No.
Type: Civilian publication.
Medium: Print and online.
Content: Articles on the intersection of technology and business, culture, politics, science, etc.
Frequency of publication: Monthly.4
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: https://www.wired.com/2016/08/how-to-submit-to-wired-opinion/
Types of contributions accepted: Op-eds which are no longer than 1,000 words, and argue a certain point of view.5
Submission and review process: Pitches and/or completed pieces should be sent to opinion [at] wired.com. If sending a pitch, clearly state your thesis and why you specifically are writing about it. Include your biographical information; they want to know who you are and why you’re writing. Mark the subject of your email as “Op-Ed Pitch: Sentence Describing Your Opinion.”6
Editorial tone: Informal but polished.
Style guide used: None noted.
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
Wired is for the writer with fresh, definitive ideas about how the various cultures of our world will respond, influence, and share the future of technology and science. LIS authors who are passionate about innovations in the information field and how these ideas affect people will enjoy writing for this publication. Wired allows LIS authors to release themselves from the rigid boundaries of academic styles and create anecdotes rich with cultural, moral, or institutional conflict within digital technologies. Publishing for this popular magazine will also create contacts beyond the LIS field and expand the breadth of publication opportunities for the LIS writer.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: Print circulation of over 870,000, with a digital monthly reach of 20 million.7
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: The magazine is based in San Francisco, CA, but international subscriptions are available. Although the magazine is in English, international subscriptions are available.8 Audience demographic information doesn’t include geographic location.
Reader characteristics: Readership is roughly 70% male, 30% female. Most have graduated from college and are fairly affluent.9 Readers are described as “globally-minded thought leaders, innovators, bloggers, and connectors” who are “constantly seeking new ideas.”10
The assumption that this audience works mainly in tech industries should not be made, as this publication covers a diverse range of subjects that are affected by technology, such as culture, cars, politics, and entertainment.
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Library terminology or other discipline-specific language will need to be defined for this more general audience. This popular, civilian publication may have many LIS readers who are interested in gaining a new perspective on technology from a civilian viewpoint. However, this would not be an appropriate venue to discuss LIS subject matter in detail. The majority of readers will not be familiar with LIS issues.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
This group of readers may be very interested to learn how technology is affecting their possibly preconceived ideas of what the library offers and represents. An interest in librarian issues may be cultivated through the technology issues. Readers might be interested in technological innovations within libraries as well as other issues such as privacy concerns.
Last updated: August 30, 2020
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