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Newspapers have played an essential role in social life for several centuries. At present, the mode of their functioning is changing due to technological development. The traditional printed sources are not the only way to access the information, accompanied by digital media, which is continuously growing in popularity. In this essay, it will be argued how the role of newspapers has changed in the twenty-first century, and a possible prognosis for the future will be provided.
During the last few decades, technology development has enabled introduction of digital forms of media. The rapidly growing popularity of digital information sources causes an assumption that printed newspapers are destined to disappear soon. However, actual research demonstrates that supposedly dying print product still reaches far more readers than digital product (Chyi and Tenenboim 2016, 1). It allows suggesting that in the future, both forms of newspapers would coexist.
In addition to the change in the form, at present, modification of newspapers content may be observed. From the two main functions of newspapers, i.e., informational and entertaining, the latter becomes the priority to the consumers. While traditionally, media was used mainly for providing news, people of the modern age seek more entertainment. As per currently conducted surveys, globally, the proportion of people willing to pay in the future is 53% for news and 70% for entertainment (Regalado 2020, par. 25). However, in India and China, the majority of people prefer to pay for news, unlike in the US and many other countries (Regalado 2020). It demonstrates that the function newspapers play in various cultures is different.
There is another argument in favor of the proposed survival of printed media in the nearest future. As OSullivan et al. (2017) discuss, a paper publication has materiality, that matters to readers. It also allows focusing on one page at a time, while online scrolling leads to loss of such focus. Such a surfeit of information and spread of attention may be uncomfortable for those who treat newspapers reading as the way of widening the scope rather than simple time-pass.
To conclude, the role of newspapers at present has changed considerably, both in form and content. In light of digital technology development, an opinion about the future disappearance of printed media arose. However, as proven by current research, the traditional form of newspaper is still in high demand, which allows suggesting the possible coexistence the digital and printed forms in the future.
References
Chyi, Hsiang Iris, & Ori Tenenboim. 2016. Reality Check: Multiplatform Newspaper Readership in the United States, 20072015. Journalism Practice 11 (7): 1-22.
OSullivan, John, Leopoldina Fortunati, Sakari Taipale, & Kevin Barnhurst. 2017. Innovators and Innovated: Newspapers and the Postdigital Future beyond the Death of Print. The Information Society 33 (2): 8695.
Regalado, Francesca. 2020. China and India Lead Surge in Demand for News Subscriptions. Nikkei Asian Review, Web.
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