Jurgis Skilters' Predictions 2026

Also in our Predictions 2026 series, interviews with James Hewes, Vincent Peyrègne, Ludovic Martin and Christophe Albericci

Q. Which belief about digital’s supposed advantage should finally be retired in 2026 — and why?

The mindset of digital marketers should be transformed according to what we know from experimental sciences. The efficiency argument is perhaps the one that should end in 2026. We are getting fatigued by digital content, we cannot coordinate our attention, we are paying huge costs in terms of recall and comprehension. And – we know from recent research that the digital format is not optimal in terms of comprehension both for the older generation and for youth.

Horizontal scanning, which is crucial for attentional processing, operates much better in print media. Yes, we use horizontal scanning also in digital environments, but we generate fewer fixations (if eye movements are measured) and this indicates less cognitive processing while reading digitally.

Also, the idea that the digital format is by default better just because of being measurable is shaky; the relative frequency effects can be tracked much better in an analogue/print environment.

One issue that I’m always puzzled about – we, in the research world, can say what we want – advocates of digital media are frequently not listening to what we say because they are blinded by some kind of almost ideological confidence that everything digital is better, faster, and more efficient. Science cannot do much against ideologies of any sort.

Q. Looking ahead to 2026, which format effects (paper vs screen) do you expect will matter most for advertising that relies on meaning — and  where should the industry be cautious about over-applying reading findings to ads?

The comprehension, in general, is better in print media. This is supported by a huge and consistent body of evidence by now, but is still being largely ignored in most of the arguments favoring digital media and digital format in general. A basic truth: if we want a deeper sense of comprehension, we should try to use print media.

Where should we be cautious? We live in a hybrid environment and instead of trying to switch the messages to print, we should rather think about how to channel the content in an optimal way. Lots of settings will surely stay digital. But if we think of, e.g., local companies and local stores and targeted users, print advertising is perhaps the key.

Q. Some evidence suggests paper encourages different reading behaviour, including purposeful re-reading. As brand messages get more complex, do you expect print formats to gain an advantage simply because they invite a second look and deeper processing?

Yes, absolutely. I think the future of print and digital media is that they will get channelled to achieve optimal results in terms of attentional processing, comprehension, and memory. Not all content should necessarily be print, and not all digital.

The future of reading will be more hybrid. How this will take place in advertising is an interesting and not trivial question. Because ads are not that long textual content and sentence-level comprehension is not even the most crucial in those cases. But I assume that remembering, recalling, putting the information from the ad into a wider context of knowledge will happen more successfully in the case of print ads! At least that’s what we know from reading behaviour in other longer textual contexts.

Q. What do you expect to see in how younger audiences allocate attention across formats (screen, print, hybrid)? And how does this connect to what research suggests about leisure reading and the conditions that support sustained attention?

As far as we know, the advantage of print reading concerns all developmental segments. At the same time, reading habits are very flexible and adaptable. I do not think that much will happen with average younger readers.

I do, however, believe that the educators (schools, universities) will start considering what the evidence about reading and the advantage of print says in 2026, and will adjust and increase the role of print reading. This would have an effect in the long run on reading habits. And this might change the leisure reading habits. Once leisure reading preferably happens in print, the added value will be sustained attention, improvements in memory, and an increase in learning quality.

But I would also be cautious about how much the transformation from digital to print (and even in a hybrid way) will take place because of the uncritical and contagious use of AI systems which presuppose digital formats.

Q. Some studies suggest attention may be shifting towards a “faster but less accurate” style in younger people, while adults show small gains in sustained focus.

Faster but less accurate is a general, ceteris paribus, observation. I think there are huge differences in different contexts both among younger and older segments of users. But I’m afraid that fast and somewhat more superficial comprehension is what happens in average contexts (including advertising).

Brands should do the channelling of messages according to age and content. Brands should also micro-target their users in terms of the preferable format. In cases where a brief core message is needed without a deeper background, the digital format might be the right one. In cases where there are more detailed backgrounds, print should be considered instead of digital. But I do also feel that more research is needed in different conditions considering different tasks, contexts of reading, prior experience, prior frequency of interaction, and composition of visual and verbal content, etc. We know just a couple of clear answers – lots still to be done!

Q. If you could give advertisers one argument they underuse today — specifically for print advertising in newspapers/magazines, mailings, or printed manuals/instructions — what would it be? 

Print is incredibly powerful because of its power to increase comprehension, attentional processing, and memory. The sensorimotor interaction that print media provide is part of the knowledge acquisition strategies that humans have used for thousands of years, and these strategies have been evolutionarily confirmed as fruitful and sustainable.

To use print is to use these important knowledge scaffolding strategies that might provide different benefits that are overlooked due to recent developments in digital media technologies!

Print media in 2026 is getting even more crucial because of more intensive use of AI-based dialogue systems that are operating almost entirely digitally and generating a much shallower way of comprehension. This is simultaneous with cognitive overload and fatigue in high-speed multitasking environments. Print might be a key to a deeper comprehension and enhanced attentional processing.