Who still reads a newspaper every morning? Maybe not many, as today's fast-paced lifestyle leaves little room for such a luxury. Most people would probably trade that time for an extra 15 minutes of sleep, preferring to catch up on the latest news on their smartphones instead. While this shift is evident, it's worth noting the rich history of newspapers, which you'll find explored at the end of this article.
The Thirst for News is Eternal. Human beings have always craved news, likely since the dawn of civilization. In ancient times, people would gather in town squares or marketplaces to learn what was happening in their communities. With the advent of newspapers, news became more accessible, delivered directly to people's doorsteps. However, in our current era, how many readers take the time to delve beyond the headlines, especially when the stories are about celebrations where everything went as planned? The real draw often seems to be the bad and sad news that dominates the prime real estate of the paper.
The Dark Allure of Tragic News attracts like magnets. Newspapers excel at packing the world's tragedies onto their front pages, prioritizing the most gruesome stories while often relegating more positive or local news to the sidelines. Yet, even with this focus, newspapers are losing out—to the visuals of equally tragic events on social media. Today's common person seems to value the views and opinions of fellow citizens more than those of journalists or editors. Editorials, often with clear bias and designed to polarize, do little to bridge the divides within our society.
The Advertisements can be exciting but when it's repeated it is an Annoyance. Another bothersome trend is the increasing number of full-page adverts on both the front and back covers of newspapers, which readers are forced to pay for. In contrast, social media platforms, while not without their own drawbacks, offer news at no extra cost, and ads can be skipped after a few seconds.
The Future of News Consumption is uncertain. The thirst for news will never go away. If people don't find it in newspapers, they'll seek it elsewhere. We are in a period of disruption, and in a decade or two, the dust will settle, and a new, more permanent source of news will evolve.
The Decline of Print media has started. Change is the only constant in the universe, and the same holds true for human habits. It’s not surprising that the circulation of printed newspapers, tabloids, and magazines is declining. Perhaps in the next decade, only limited editions of paper versions will be available, and those too will be highly embellished, catering to a niche audience—people with a taste for gold nib fountain pens, mechanical watches, and cars with manual drives. But who knows?
Your Choice: Ink or Digital?
Ultimately, the choice is yours. You can embrace the ink-stained pages with their depth and analysis, or dive into the digital ocean, navigating its currents with a discerning mind. Either way, in this new era of information, the responsibility lies with us, the readers, to become informed citizens, sifting truth from fiction and shaping our own understanding of the world, byte by byte or page by page.
A Brief History of Newspapers
Rudimentary newspapers appeared in many European countries in the 17th century, and broadsheets with social news were published in Japan during the Tokugawa period (1603–1867). The first English corantos appeared in London in 1621. By the 1640s, the news book had evolved into the newspaper, with the title page being dropped. Sweden passed the first law guaranteeing freedom of the press in 1766.
In the early 19th century, newspaper circulation was in the low thousands. Rising literacy rates and technological advances in mechanical typesetting, high-speed printing (rotary press), communications (telegraph and telephone), and transport (railway) enabled newspapers to broaden their appeal and reduce prices. For example, The Times increased its circulation from 5,000 in 1815 (at a price of seven pence) to 50,000 by the mid-19th century (at five pence).
I do both, actually, read print copies of newspapers and also some digital copies that I subscribe. There is a nostalgic charm about reading the morning newspaper as a family, with tea. Each member having a separate page and then exchanging till the paper was spread out in a chaos across the room, only to be swiftly put back after tea in a neat pipe for leisure reading of the editorials. Now, I don't have a room full of people to read the paper with me, however the feeling remains.
ReplyDeleteThe digital version I enjoy mostly when I am out and have to wait for appointments etc, I browse them in those times or do my crosswords.