- higher editorial standards and gatekeeping meant print media was generally of higher quality than internet publications

- print publications built reputations of spans of time that the internet still hasn't existed for, earning greater trust and authority, and helping to establish shared cultural touchstones and social cohesion

- copyright was clearer and more meaningful, piracy was more difficult

- selling physical copies and subscriptions was a more stable revenue source for creators and publishers than the tumult of selling ads in the 21st century

And all of this was nothing in the face of "receiving pages of text. Faster than one could read"