Unless you’ve been
living under a rock for the last ten years, you are well aware of the fact that
the internet is taking over everything.
Need a job? Internet. Want a date? Internet. Want to catch up with a
friend? Internet. Pursuing a college
degree? Internet. Need clothes,
shoes, food, electronics, a pet monkey? Internet.
You get the point. I’d go as far as to say that if I really wanted to, I
could live a fairly productive life without
ever leaving my house in this day and age. The thing is, unlike many of my
peers, I am really uninterested in a
cyber life. Sure, it can be convenient at times, but in my opinion it’s
just not worth the cost. Our culture of E-everything is destroying…
1.
Our ability to communicate face-to-face
2.
Paper books (screw you, Kindle)
3.
MY FUTURE CAREER
The first two probably
make sense to you. Let me explain the third. I am pursuing a degree in
journalism. I want to write. I want to share stories with people, stories that
will change their lives and open their eyes to the injustices occurring in
their world so that they can change
their world. I want to write for a newspaper.
No, I’m not a hipster.
I truly believe in the power of news and the organic beauty of news stories
that I can hold in my hands. To me, there is something about a newspaper that
the internet will never be able to replicate. Maybe it’s the idea that anyone,
regardless of motive, education, intelligence, dedication, passion, or bias can
write “news” online. The internet allows anyone to call himself a “journalist,”
and that just doesn’t sit right with me.
I polled my Facebook
friends to gain some insight on how they stay informed about the goings-on in
the world. Thirteen out of fifteen people said that the internet is their
primary news source. Eleven out of fifteen do not read their local newspaper.
These odds do not bode well for the once-trusted, once-beloved local newspaper.
As much as it breaks my
little journalist heart, I do not believe that any newspaper will survive
unless it is available online. Therefore, I have to say that of the Newspapers
available to us today, the local paper has the least chance of survival. As for
the New York Times vs. USA Today, my vote for long-term survival goes to USA
Today. It is more readily available online, it is written for the masses, and
there are more pictures…I mean, who doesn't love a good picture?
I wish that I could
change this. I wish that I could make people fall back in love with the news in
print. Maybe this will get their attention…
#bringbackthenewspaper
I understand what you are saying, but everything is evolving, if we stay stuck in the past how do we ever make it to the future? Plus the more things we print, the more tree you destroy, so ask yourself, would you rather destroy our earth or transfer to ebook, or online newspaper?
ReplyDeleteWhat you said here actually appeared to be deep, especially due to the fact that you're pursuing journalism. I completely agree about local newspapers shutting down. The thing about newspapers, though, is that the amount of people that read the newspaper keeps declining day after day. You could try to bring the ratings up as best you can, but its gonna take effort from a bunch of people to make a dramatic change. And it's gonna be difficult to do that.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as long as you have people on the same page (see what I did there lol), ANYTHING is possible! Quality AND quantity can actually be on your side on this one ;)
ReplyDeleteVery valid points, and honestly if I were pursuing a career in a field that has the potential to disappear I would DEFINITELY feel the way that you do. However, I believe thats its about finding a balance. Finding that right mixture of still wanting to explore things that may not be as easily accessible if you were to do it the "old fashioned way" per say. Their has to be some way to incorporate the new age with trends with the classic ones, and I feel that once that is accomplished everyone will be happy in the end.
ReplyDeleteMade some very strong points but sometimes tradition is not always best. However I believe that newspapers are no longer financially viable nor are they environmentally conscientious.
ReplyDeleteMade some very strong points but sometimes tradition is not always best. However I believe that newspapers are no longer financially viable nor are they environmentally conscientious.
ReplyDelete