The Inevitable Fall

With the rise of internet over the last few years newspaper has maintained a downward fall. Americans live in a fast paced world, they want things fast easy and as cheap as they can get it; if the cost is free Americans are extremely happy. With the internet offering world, national, and local news at the touch of your fingertips the newspaper industry, bringing the news a day later, is becoming seen as unreliable. The internet offers 24 hours of constant updated news which is free to those accessing it. The newspaper, on the other hand, offers news a day late potentially missing facts that were given after the newspaper was already printed, and charges people .75 cents to $2.50.

The fast pace of Americans is maintained well with the rise of the internet. The internet is becoming more incorporated with Americans everyday lives, and now usage of the internet is being taught at such a young age. “As early as May, 2004, newspapers had become the least preferred source for news among younger people. According to “Abandoning the News,” 39% of respondents under the age of 35 told researchers that they expected to use the Internet in the future for news purposes; just 8% said that they would rely on a newspaper.” (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/31/080331fa_fact_alterman?currentPage=2) Young adults and teens are now, more than ever becoming more involved with political news allowing them to broaden their horizons to topics and information now more accessible to them.

Young adults and teens have influence on how new technology will effect old ways. “They [teens] copy, quote from, discuss, and criticize stories reported in the press far more than engaging in original reporting or linking to other blogs. Online readers copy and distribute stories from newspaper Web sites to their friends via email and social network sites. Especially for the young, trading copies of newspaper stories often substitutes for visiting the paper's Web site.” (Neil Netanel, The Demise of Newspapers: Economics, Copyright, Free Speech). Newspapers used to be thought of as high-margin monopolies. The newspaper industry makes money from readers and advertising in fact, “Newspapers in a mid-sized American city was, for many decades, a kind of license to print money. In the Internet age, however, no one has figured out how to rescue the newspaper in the United States or abroad. Newspapers have created Web sites that benefit from the growth of online advertising, but the sums are not nearly enough to replace the loss in revenue from circulation and print ads.” (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/31/080331fa_fact_alterman?currentPage=2).

Technology is ever evolving. As said, Americans, as well as most humans, look for ways to things the fastest and easiest way. Painting was over taken by the invention of photography just as the internet is overtaking the industry of the newspaper. Will the newspaper industry come to an inevitable failure? I believe they will find a way to strive. The industry just needs to get with the times, get their paper on the net and charge the readers. If they can find a way to that, advertisers will begin buying through them again. The demise of the print newspaper will turn to the upturn of the online newspaper.