News can be called a net that keeps everybody on this planet connected and informed about their surroundings. We cannot go a day without consuming a certain amount of it. With time, the means of news and news consumption have changed. From the 17th Century to the 21st century News has been distributed and consumed in various mediums. Let's talk about it.
The most generic form of news distribution is the newspaper. Newspapers have been in this world from the 16th century and cover an array of news from Politics to sports to health and lifestyle. It reaches many across the globe and helps keep everyone connected and informed. Newspapers also come in various languages and many forms. In the current days, it has become one of the biggest businesses and is one of most reliable means of news. With all that said, why is it beginning to lose its power?
There could be several reasons for it. It all began with the invention of Television in the 1950s. With the news handed to the doorstep almost at once, many began to turn to the idiot box than read about it in the papers. The case for newspapers was not supported by the explosion of the internet in the 1990s. This gave the readers a choice to choose between the internet, television and the paper. In 2015 weekday newspaper circulation dipped by 7% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2015 while Sunday circulation dropped by four percent over the same period, the greatest decline for each since 2010.
The major blow for the papers was 2020's infamous COVID 19 pandemic. With everything moving to the digital front, the circulation of papers took a massive blow. For example, National newspaper circulation in the UK has been declining for years and fell below one million copies in 2020 even among leading brands like The Daily Mail.
One of the fastest means where people get news is twitter. Twitter was once a space where people were free to express their opinion and now has turned into a hub for cancel culture and heavy controversy. With twitter and its recent toxicity, opinions turn into headlines within a matter of seconds. Which leads to the question of whether digital platforms like twitter seem better than newspapers?
Twitter is based for the younger generation while newspapers for the older ones. Twitter makes money through featuring accounts while newspapers make money through advertisements. While twitter is free and available on any phone, Newspapers cost some amount of money. So, should everyone stop buying newspapers?
The question of whether digital platforms are better than the traditional means will always be ongoing. While digital platforms can be the fastest way to know what's happening around, newspapers still are one of the most reliable sources of news. Sometimes on digital platforms like twitter, creating false information becomes simpler. Whereas, newspapers take time to get the sources right which makes them more credible.
This debate will always be ongoing. It is up to the readers to choose where they consume their news from. In this era of digitalization, Newspapers are finding it difficult to survive. A possible solution to this debate could be the usage of social media with newspapers. Many newspapers in India like the Times of India, The Indian express and so on have moved to a digital presence and supply live points of a particular event. A mixture of digital and traditional media could strike a balance between the two, but it mainly depends on the reader and the choice they make.
References
Watson, A. (2021, November 9). Newspaper industry in the United Kingdom - statistics & facts. Statista. https://www.statista.com/topics/5932/newspaper-industry-uk/
Wikipedia contributors. (2022, January 13). Decline of newspapers. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_newspapers
Pohlman, B., & Pohlman, B. (2013, October 22). Use Twitter as a Newspaper. Social Media Today. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/use-twitter-newspaper
Evans, A. (n.d.). Twitter blogs and newspapers similarities and differences. Prezi.Com. https://prezi.com/4hqcay95sifo/twitter-blogs-and-newspapers-similarities-and-differences/