Commentary: The Internet and Print Media
Millions of people are now online, and that number will continue to increase as low cost devices become more readily available. Many of these devices will exist as a wireless technology or even inside an automobile. A constantly open floodgate of information will be available for those who would desire such as thing. Caught in the flood are the newspapers, which once stood unopposed as the primary source of information - with the exception of television. However, newspapers are more portable and tend to provide much more detailed information than television. Internet news sources do have the capacity to fulfill both of those requirements, and are the most potent threat to tradition. Subscriptions to the Philadelphia Inquirer have plummeted by the thousands in the past year. Apparently as a result, even the papers themselves can now be found online.
Online news ventures such as MSNBC, ABCNews, and CNN aggressively pursue a wider user base. Major Internet providers and software companies often provide free content in an attempt to become the dominant portal to the Internet. Attempts were made to charge for online content (Slate Magazine and its subscription fiasco), but these have ultimately been unsuccessful. Users have a wide variety of ultra competitive news sources to choose from all for the price of Internet connectivity. Literally thousands of editorials, comics, and interactive news applications are available. Users may even be notified when the topic of their choice becomes available – all for nothing. Financial news is almost real time, and there is no need to flip through pages filled with thousands of symbols that the reader could care less about. A whole wealth of information can be easily searched, navigated and updated on a continuous basis.
The advent of portable electronic devices, Xerox’s electronic paper, and more recently IBM’s flexible transistor, allow for a freedom to bring the Internet anywhere. Just as a paper can be rolled up and carried away. Large corporations such as Microsoft and 3Com are working to make them less elitist and as universal as paper is today. The potential for such devices to provide real time commerce and advertising revenues assures their longevity and future availability. Judging by the influence of the Internet and electronic media in the 2000 Presidential Election it also will be utilized for political purposes. Candidates can establish grassroots networks, and their message can reach a far larger audience without the need of support from the political establishment. This may be especially helpful in nations where the media has been strictly regulated and monitored by a dominating government. New uses for the Internet will be found as our lives and the world continues to grow and change.
Today’s busy lifestyle may prove incompatible with printed words. Work hours and productivity continue to increase, as time to sit down and read decreases. A noticeable change in newspapers and magazines can be seen in the form of larger headlines and quick summary paragraphs. On demand, customized news may be more in touch with the busy lifestyle so many of us lead. Concern for the environment also contributes to the lack of desire to unnecessarily waste trees and other resources. Although producing and powering electronics is not as innocent and environmentally friendly as it may seem. Papers are nationally recollected and recycled. Even still it takes energy to accomplish that. Life is full of advantages and disadvantages.
Newspapers happen to have plenty of advantages. Now that this comparison has segued into newspapers it would make sense to discuss how they have good "old-fashioned" appeal. A simple argument is that many people also simply remain resistant to change. Imagine a P.E.D (Portable Electronic Device) hanging on the wall at a bar rather than a newspaper clipping. Now, imagine that the featured article disappearing when the battery runs out. Such a thing would be absolutely ridiculous in the mind of any sane person. For those of us like to read while using the lavatory there is also a simple, yet effective argument. No one would take kindly to handling someone else’s PED after they failed to wash their hands upon returning from those facilities. Throwing a PED out into a wastebasket like one would discard a paper is also difficult to imagine.
Much of the information available on the Internet is worth what is in any given wastebasket. Literally anyone can publish his or her thoughts and opinions online. In fact, hackers often replace the opinions of others with their own. Recent attacks by hackers on high profile Websites (Yahoo, eBay) put into question the viability of any information posted online. The rush to get a scoop in the highly competitive Internet marketplace is also a danger to accuracy and quality research. When something is published on paper it had better be accurate, but on the Internet it can be retracted almost instantaneously with the hope that no one archived it or with a brief message of the revision hidden away on a dark corner of the site. Newspapers generally have provided a proven and reliable source of information. This remains a distinct advantage of newspapers.
Another advantage is the supplement provided to local economies by newspapers. Paperboys, editors, and other miscellaneous workers all distribute wealth at the local level. The trickle down effect is what allows small mom and pop businesses to continue to prosper in today’s corporate minded world. Locals can even place an ad in the said paper, which has the distinction of focusing on what is going on in their town. The disappearance of local papers means further erosion of communities, and isolation of the individual. Although, failure to change with the times also can lead have negative consequences. Is it reasonable to say that there is room for both newspapers and the Internet?
The attributes of the Internet and newspapers make them both attractive. The net provides customized and efficient information, while the local paper is in touch with the individual. It is difficult to consider either an undesirable alternative to the other. What do you think? Will we see the end of print media in its current form, or will old-fashioned paper hold strong and continue to find its place in our rapidly changing technological society? Post your thoughts below.