Newspapers might be old news. The iGeneration, as we should be called, doesn’t make high numerous impressions on print newspaper readership. The digital age is upon us, and my peers are certainly taking a liking to it.
Each year, newspaper revenue drops as the shift from print to online becomes more common, and more necessary for the newspaper industry. While most newspapers still don’t want to give up a complete free version of their publication, the decline in memberships of my generation force them to transfer material online so it can reach its audience. But, are most people still heading to their local newspaper website to gather their news for the day? Maybe some, but not all. Even though many news sites may link to an original newspapers website, many people gather news from regular, other people who are not employed as news gatherers. Since information such as discussions and debates appear so quickly and can be held in real time chats, people are getting their dose of local and world news from most websites where anybody can make a post. The problem here is since we use social media and blogging as a way to connect to others and express our ideas, there is no required fact checking. So newspaper readership has gone down with people in my age group, but I’m hoping we can all have the sense to be able to read a breaking news story from somebody we may know and then transfer our attention to a credible news source reporting on it. Social media and blogging sites can be used as a great way to introduce what is being covered by these professional publications. A great post could be the general idea of what event is going on, and the link attached should be where you could find the most up-to-date and reliable information pertaining to that event.
According to socialmediatoday.org, over 50% of Americans are receiving their news from their mobile devices and learn about such breaking news using social media apps rather than official news sources. This number may or may not include the official news sources that do have social media profiles, but it is a staggering number that means the majority of us are turning to a fast, convenient news source. We don’t have to wait until the morning paper reaches our grassy lawn anymore and we can have the portable ease of breaking news in our pockets. Facebook is topping the charts as the online source for news. TV news still holds a high number as the go-to for peoples news over print newspapers but should it be outruled that one day our mobile devices and computers will outdo TV news? That’s hard to say for sure, but this iGeneration seems to be flocking towards the most convenient way of accessing information, even if it’s told in 140 characters or less. I, myself, still love the traditional way of sipping coffee over the perfectly folded newspaper.
So, although this generation may show unpredictable behaviors compared to the previous one when it comes to reading and hearing about world events, at least people are still interested in such events and are even proud to be one of the first to know about it. What should be shared with everyone is the looming fact that about 49% of people have heard breaking news via social media that has turned out false. Knowing that, we can be more curious creatures and learn to do more research on whatever we read from peers and perhaps to not forget about the old trusty gray newspaper on our lawns.