Downfall Of The Newspaper Industry
The advent of the internet has drastically changed many aspects of people’s lives. It reduced all the nations of the world into one global village. It minimized boundaries. It made information very accessible. And it created more informed citizens of the world.
Predictions has it that by 2020, there will be more than five billions internet users. This means that five years from now, majority of the population will be relying on internet for information. Perhaps, it could also mean a paperless world.
Interestingly, the advent of internet is also affecting the production of the long standing newspaper and TV industries. Media outfits these days are no longer solely disseminating information through the print and broadcast media. Right now, more than half of them are integrating their news stories over the internet.
As an effect, this reality brings us to questioning the subsistence of the newspaper industry at present. Yes, we still get to see newspaper stands teeming with newspapers. People are still patronizing them. But with the fast-paced life these days, and with so many things happening around, only a few people would primarily rely on newspapers for fast breaking news.
Recent researches conducted in different settings are in one on estimating that at least 35% of people are relying on internet for news. This is not surprising since nearly half of the worldwide population has access to internet at present, whether it be through computers or smartphones. And this sector wants to get updated with the latest happenings across the world.
Apparently, they also don’t have much time to read newspapers for breaking news. Today, everyone wants to be updated with what happened an hour ago. Just by merely typing key words on the search engine would bring someone different stories coming from all over the world.
As observed, newspapers are also contextualized to particular places only. People these days are interested in acquiring information about other news other than what happened nearby. As an effect of the global village, people are developing that need to seek for other people’s stories aside from their own. Perceptions has it that this is a borderless world. What happened in Gaza would definitely impact the rest of the world – and this is the reason why people are reading stories about it even if the place is on the other side of the world.
The newspaper industry may subsist over a period of time. But with the changing lifestyle, attitudes and perceptions of people, it will definitely struggle. Yet, while it works for some people, newspapers are still seen as power wielders for they still provide knowledge to those who read.