Why Won’t The Yellow Pages Die Already?

Just found this article from Slate about the history of phone books, how they create so much waste and the opt-out movement that’s floating around several states. The quote that caught my attention is something we may have all heard before but put in a way that is pretty stark:

“Ask anyone under 30 about phone books, though, and you might as well inquire about Victrola needles. The Yellow Pages Association claims that even young households use them when the occasion—a wedding, for instance—demands reliable listings. But printed phone books are a maturing industry, with only about six in 10 businesses and individuals still regularly relying on them. Yet even as directories hemorrhage content to the Web and to unlisted cell numbers, enough oldsters—those, say, who still recall physically dialing numbers in a rotary motion—continue using them enough to keep profits rolling in. In other words, you remaining four in 10 recipients can expect a lot more doorstops and spider-smashers in your future.”

A bit dire in tone perhaps but seems plausible.