Remember the telegram? How about the Walkman? The VCR? Or dial up Internet? As technology develops, what used to be an amazing invention will inevitably become outdated and fade away. Is this the fate of the newspaper?
Looking back at the 20th century we saw this happen to many times. Big bulky records were replaced by cassette tapes, which were in turn replaced by CD players and eventually MP3. Technology became more and more specified until finally you are able to access thousands of songs through basically a little box that can fit in your pocket.
With the invention of the Internet, information about anything you could possible imagine is at your fingertips if you know where to look. Up to date is no longer what you read in today's paper, its what you read on the Internet or what you saw on CNN within the last two hours. On top of that this information is available 24/7 to millions of Americans via their mobile phones. Technology just keeps expanding and condensing and the newspaper becomes bulky, environmentally unfriendly and inconvenient. It's all about efficiency these days.
Personally, I get all of my information from the Internet and TV. But since being assigned this topic I have noticed so many people enjoying a newspaper around the city. To many, there is just something irreplaceable about taking a break from your busy day with today's paper and a cup of coffee. The newspaper may become a rarity, it may completely change form, but I doubt it will disappear completely just yet.
http://www.cybercollege.com/frtv/frtv038.htm
I agree, efficiency is everything in today's society. But what is to say that a newspaper is not as efficient as an iPhone? Newspapers are easy to carry around and stick in a bag and it is easy to open up and read. While I am not docking the iPhone or any other mobile device, I am not ready to dismiss the newspaper all together.
ReplyDeleteStovall says "The writer for the mass media has two jobs. The first is gathering information; the second is putting that information into the appropriate form for the writer's medium." The second job differs between the paper writer and the internet writer. On paper, you could have your story cut short because of space issues, whereas the internet has infinite space. An online writer has to be careful, even though the internet is boundless, that might not mean that all of your story is necessary.
Looking back at that video, I can't help but wonder if those people ever thought that the news would not only be available online, but on small cell phones that can fit in your pocket. Probably every newspaper has a website, and if they don't, they are only hurting themselves. As technology continues to get better, it is going to be interesting to see how we get our news in 2030. We will probably look back at news reports from today, and laugh at how primitive it seemed. Hopefully, in 2030, print news will still be available and the print newspaper seller will still have a job.
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/03/the-future-of-n/