Magazines for the Affluent.

After the recession of the early 1980s, most of the decade was marked by increased prosperity and a slowdown in the rate of inflation, leaving many Americans with disposable income to spend on magazines that addressed their interests in topics such as fashion, celebrities, children, health, fitness, lifestyle, travel, and new technologies. In a period when style seemed to count for more than substance, the magazines of the 1980s even imparted a new glamour to subjects such as dieting, gardening, and exercising.

Science and Computer Magazines.

In 1980 two new magazines were launched to capitalize on Americans' interest in new scientific discoveries. Time, Inc., introduced Discover, geared for an educated audience interested in the effects of science on daily life, and the Litton Publishing Group brought out Next: The Magazine of the Future, which purported to forecast breakthroughs in science and technology. By 1983 the...