The Beginning of the End for Print?
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For my first blog entry I thought a fitting post about how the digital revolution is changing the way the world works and the positive effect it’s having.
At a time when you can get hold of the news regardless of what medium you see, hear or read it on we all know about the effects of global warming and climate change. Millions of tonnes of trees each year are being cut down to satisfy the needs of newspapers. The cost of delivering these newspapers to their destinations with the prices of petrol being at an all time high and when were consuming every natural resource is it not surprising newspapers are closing down.
New blogs are being made at around 75,000 a day adding to the current 35,000,0000 already online. In this new technical age, the ease of access is making it increasingly popular for today’s generation, which have grown up reading on screens, to find any information through the likes of Google and Wikipedia.
Apart from the environmental effects one of the downfalls of the newspaper is we can ultimately decide what we read on ours screens, we as consumers for example don’t have to flick through 20 pages of celebrity gossip to reach the business section, we can just click the “business” link on the website. Updates on stock prices are now updated live online instead of having to pick up the latest copy of The Times to find out if your shares fell the day before.
Interactivity is something you don’t get with newspapers and magazines. Where else other than online can you discuss a news story with the potential of a worldwide audience, view videos of the particular news story and other features which you simply don’t get with a tabloid or broadsheet. A prime example of this is The New York Times, this paper now has more readers online than the actual paper. With the introduction of RSS and feeds this is becoming increasingly easier with immediate access to the news you want to read the second it’s published online.
With such ease to set up a new website or blog with the introduction of CMS (content management systems) its never been easier for a writer to have their work published. One trend which is on the increase is freelance journalists who are working by themselves and reporting the news on their blog in hope that someone will headhunt them.
With the recession now in full swing the cost of setting up on the internet is minimal in regards to the production of cost of a newspaper. How will this effect employees of the print industry? In 10 years time will colleges and universities still have a focus on print media and publishing or look more at online media?
The Sony Reader can store 1000s of books in a device the size of a Nintendo DS. Will this mean the end for libraries? I personally think a world without libraries would be a sad one. Wikipedia, which is available currently in 243 different languages, has basically forced any encyclopaedia salesmen out of a job. Wikipedia is user editable which makes the information potentially biased but each time ive used it ive found the information to be correct. Google, YouTube, Wikipedia amongst a few others no longer need explaining to anyone thus entering the same worldwide elite brands such as Coke, Pepsi and Nike.
Where I think newspapers and magazines potentially lost the battle was by not buying companies such as eBay and Craigslist when they were just starting out. Where most of these publications profits come from advertising and classified ads its now become easier to reach a much bigger population by using Craigslist and eBay and im sure these sites have took a notable chunk out of the profit from these companies. The only thing these publications can do is to lower their prices, which in return reduces profits but how can they compete with Craigslist and with the likes of the free dating service Plenty Of Fish.
Im obviously not the only person to hit on this subject in a blog but even Media executives such as Rupert Murdoch have made statements regarding the change. Despite all major newspapers having some kind of online readership Rupert Murdoch stated “Among major news sources, our beloved newspaper is the least likely to be the preferred choice for local, national or international news going forward. Consumers between the ages of 18-34 are increasingly using the web as their medium of choice for news consumption.” Bill Gates is another example, the IT billionaire said “The Internet is now cheap enough that the idea of having every household in America watching a different video feed has become practical.” While some infrastructure improvement was needed, “broadcast infrastructure over these next five years will not be viewed as competitive”.
This worrying trend leads me to think that the recession hit few years we are facing will potentially be make or break for several key newspapers and magazines but the even more worrying question is where will this end? Nowadays you can watch TV online with iPlayer and Catch Up from broadcasting companies, will this mean the end of TV? Sounds crazy as you read this but with computer power doubling every 18 months since 1980 who knows what will be possible in 10 years time?
Thanks for reading.
Mike
More recently some newspapers are cutting their prices in half to keep readers or giving away money-off vouchers for everyday of the week. Nearly every main national newspaper, to some extent, are basically giving away their papers to keep the readers.
Also, a very well written piece of writing, Mike. Concise is always an excellent characteristic.
I completely agree.
Just after reading your post i looked at yesterdays “The Sun”
Theyre currently asking people to buy the newspaper each day for the next 2 weeks for free tickets to alton towers.
Thanks for your input.
Regards
Mike
One way to sell more papers
Have me on the front page
BOOYAH
it very good mikey
I think newspapers are great, they make me feel warm inside. I use them to line my clothes when i sleep rough. I’m not sure this article has thought about all the millions of people sleeping rough in Glossop that rely on newspapers to survive. Also what about papier mache? you didn’t think of that did you? if your plan to do away with newspapers succeeds the papier mache industry will be decimated, is that what you want? Primary school art rooms full of children covering balloons in clay, balloons were not designed to handle clay!
Sir if you abolish newspapers you will have lost my vote.
You make some valid points there, Mike. I do still think there is room for printed media in certain circumstances – I am someone who physically finds print easier to read and also I prefer making notes on a printout. That said, I never buy newspapers and rarely buy magazines anymore; any news input I get is usually headlines through RSS feeds or from sites such as the reg. Good luck with the site – looks great!
Not all newspapers need to be abolished….ever thought about how people will know whats going on? I am a student in University at the moment and as I can’t afford a TV License I rely on newspapers to tell me of recent news. Also, newspapers offer good sources of primary information and I rely on them somewhat. I’m not talking off tabloid papers but aiming towards broadsheets.
Although, digital technology in advancing rapidly many people aren’t familiar with how to work up and coming technology and still get a reasonble amount of pleasure out of sitting down with a good newspaper/magazine and a cup of tea. Also, can you imagine the potential damage using computers all day every day would cause…….no going to the shops for a newspaper so less socialising, RSI, the damage it would cause to ones eyes looking at a computer screen for such lengths, obesity levels if people like yourself keep claiming that digital technology is the way forward.
I think you need to reconsider some of your points.
Hi Sally
You do make some good points.
I do agree with you on some of them, i can imagine the older generation at the moment wanting to go out and buy a paper because thats what theyre used to and thats what they have been doing for however many years.
I also agree that sitting down with a magazine or newspaper and a brew can be one of lifes little pleasures.
You mention about health effects but obesity was already happening before. If a person isnt looking at a computer screen, theyre looking at the tv or playing video games?
You can have your food shopping delivered to your house now after ordering it online but this doesnt neccesarily mean that there will be no supermarkets on our high streets, im too young to know but im aware that the same thing was said about how would radio survive when TV first became widely available. Radio is obviously still around and i do think newspapers will be, but i believe if they dont change the way they do things like radio did when television was introduced then more people will be looking towards the online option 10 years from now.
I think you have a fair point, I can’t remember the last time I picked up and read a newspaper, however I highly doubt that printed media will be gone away with all together.
Fair enough, you can get all the information you need for free and what seems to be more environmentally friendly online, no cutting down trees right? but who said the manufacturing of computers was any less harmful to the environment than paper making? I think it is more so, especially when you take into consideration all the types of plastics used, plus the electricity used to enable you to go online. Newspapers can be recycled and dont need to be plugged in anddd can be remade using recycled paper.
Also, I dont think the number of people using newspapers has declined much, not yet anyway, you just have to walk around town, or simply go onto a train at peak times and tonnes of people will have some form of printed media with them.
There are far more telephones than computers, and we can email, but we still have the postal system, yeah its declined, but its still there,
I think its more to do with the younger generations attitudes to the news and things. Like myself, the news, stockmarket etc, just doesnt seem important. Why read a newspaper on a train when I could text or listen to my ipod?
Hey man, yeah im all for the whole easy access to absolutely everything we need at our fingertips dealy, and hope that one day we wont have to leave our compoopers for anything, however, that doesn’t mean i wont move from my screen all day, just because i can look at the news online, doesn’t mean i don’t ever buy papers, and i wouldn’t like it if newspapers dissapeared. I think the older generation have an affinity with newspaper, its not so much getting the news into your head as quickly and easily as is humanly possible, as actually sitting down and enjoying the whole reading of a newspaper. But i don’t think theres many of the younger generation who are going to share that feeling so i don’t reckon that there’s going to be enough consistant buyers of papers to support the industry forever.
Very fair point you make there Toni
Technology is also being made enviromentally friendly too, just look at the new “green macbook”
http://www.apple.com/mac/green-notebooks/
I dont know about you, but i feel you may have proven my point, you say “Why read a newspaper on a train when I could text or listen to my ipod?”. I have an RSS reader on my phone, a Samsung F480 and i can follow the news as it becomes available and have instant access to it via the phone. I only subscribe to the news articles i want to read so i dont have to go through a newspaper and look at what a Pop Idols wearing which may be considered news to some people but not for me. I can read what i choose to read and what interests me when i want to read it?
Timmy
I agree that the “affinity of buying a newspaper” is with the older generation. My nan, who is 70 stills goes out to buy the paper in the morning, other than going to church and shopping its one of the few occasions she gets out of the house.
You have to remember newspapers are being printed today in the same traditional fashion of printing presses as 100 years ago, of course technology has changed this process somewhat but i think where the newspapers will make or break in the next 10 years is whether traditional newspaper publishers can find a way of securing substantial online revenue to attract readers.
Just put in “decline in newspapers” in Google and see what comes up?!
Or look at http://www.newspaperdeathwatch.com – its a surprisingly interesting read!
Mike this is actually interesting to read. I’m currently doing an assignment on the future of print media, no jokes. You are going in my research buddy.
Hi Aimee
Thanks!
If you need any help or anything just send me a mail! Glad to be a service!
Mike
aww papers papers papers…. the only thing i hate about papers is that 9 times out of 10 the front page is always disgustingly depressing… lol sorry bit of a rant anyway.
i think that one day papers and books and such will be gone whice is a sad concept, and that all imformation will be online and stuff which is a good thing however ican guess that 90% of the population is not going to want to have to sit infront of a square screen for hours searching for the tinyest peice of info… people (our generation) are just caring less and dont really like the idea of reading a paper.. and using the internet to buy things like tescos home shopping.. everyone will grow up to be lazy, fat and useless….
But at the end of the day we will not know till it happens
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