Why Do Newspapers Still Exist?

      Today's lecture notes in Mr. Miller's Journalism I class were simply titled "Newspapers." Some topics discussed under this simplistic heading interested me, as I am a lover of new fun facts, but one really caught my attention, despite its quick, time-saving coverage towards the end of the class. It is something that I have always asked myself. Why do newspapers still exist? Mr. Miller gave us six solid examples for us to think about as we hurriedly rushed out of the room to make it to our next class. I fully agreed with all of them, and not just because I prefer print to digital myself, but his final   words, which I will explain after listing the examples, I must admit, I did not agree with.

      The examples, first, are as follows: print newspapers are 1. portable and low tech (i.e., no wifi, battery, or expensive payment is required) 2. cheaper to buy than an iPad (per issue or issue subscription) 3. available to everyone 4. in correlation with tradition of older individuals 5. physical, so they can be shared 6. non-linear (i.e., you can "jump around"easily, whereas you don't have that option with a television or radio broadcast). All of these reasons, as mentioned before, are solid, factual, and completely true. In this year, they fully embody the reason for print journalism's ongoing existence. However, in contrast to Mr. Miller's view, I believe that forty or fifty years from now, it is possible that the print newspaper's extinction could be a real probability, a fact even. Already, most people born on or after 1980 have fully embraced the new emerging world of technological advances. Skills and experience with high-tech devices like these can prove to be a worthy asset on an application or résumé, not to mention a great way to stay in touch with former high school/college friends and current acquaintances. Then there are people born after 1998 who know almost nothing more than what they were born into. By then, most had been preparing for the "age of technology" that would soon sprout up quickly after the making of the first computer and, later, the first software program. All computers, laptops, tablets, and cellular telephones have done these past sixteen years, or so, have advanced. They've grown smaller or bigger, faster, easy-to-use or advanced, and cheaper, and that's all they will continue to do. I believe that after the "old" generation has almost completely died out, print journalism will begin to make its final demise, leading to the overall extinction of the physical newspaper. Almost no one of the "technologic" generation will want to see their newspaper on anything but a screen. It's convenient to see straight away, and gets information to the public much faster. Along with that, it saves a vast amount of trees. It's sad to admit, but it's true. 

      An example of this common demise would be the once-popular video rental chain, Blockbuster. Anyone could rent movies there at their own convenience for a low price, and return it whenever they felt the need to. However, when chains like Redbox and websites like Netflix started popping up across the world, Blockbuster was no longer needed. Other people had made a once convenient thing even more convenient, so there was no need to keep Blockbuster's doors open. Eventually, much to my sadness, I do envision this happening to the print journalism industry. 

      Why do newspapers still exist? Most likely because we are living in an age of people who still remember what it's like to read the daily print paper. Will they exist fifty years from now? I'm going to have to disagree with Mr. Miller, and end this with a "no."