Decline of Newspapers

[DioxazinePlum]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Look-for-the-Newspaper-tsmp-15164125.html?.v=1

We've all been hearing about the decline of newspapers due to the internet. Do you think that newspapers should continue, or just give up and go completely online?

Things to think about:
- Amazon's kindle. Could this save newspaper subscriptions?
- How is a newspaper going to make money when its free online? Should we have to pay to view the news online?
- Will you miss actual paper?
- What about all the poor old factory workers that print the paper?  

[black_wing_angel]

DioxazinePlum

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Look-for-the-Newspaper-tsmp-15164125.html?.v=1

We've all been hearing about the decline of newspapers due to the internet. Do you think that newspapers should continue, or just give up and go completely online?

I'm not really sure, on that one. It could work as an online-only thing, but people who don't have computers, would be ******** class="quote">

Quote:

Things to think about:
- Amazon's kindle. Could this save newspaper subscriptions?
- How is a newspaper going to make money when its free online? Should we have to pay to view the news online?

[DioxazinePlum]

Does anyone here actually read paper news? I don't know anyone my age that does, its all online.  

[DioxazinePlum]

black_wing_angel

I'm not really sure, on that one. It could work as an online-only thing, but people who don't have computers, would be ********/>

Its very true that going online would isolate knowledge in the hands of those who can afford it.

Then again, I really don't see how anyone without a computer can live.  

[DioxazinePlum]

I think for a lot reasons, this issue is more important than it may seem at first glance.  

[black_wing_angel]

DioxazinePlum

black_wing_angel

I'm not really sure, on that one. It could work as an online-only thing, but people who don't have computers, would be ********/>

Its very true that going online would isolate knowledge in the hands of those who can afford it.

Then again, I really don't see how anyone without a computer can live.

My dad has managed to, for 51 years now. I've seen him use a computer maybe 5 times. And not one of these times, had he ever owned the computer he was using.  

[DioxazinePlum]

black_wing_angel

DioxazinePlum

black_wing_angel

I'm not really sure, on that one. It could work as an online-only thing, but people who don't have computers, would be ********/>

Its very true that going online would isolate knowledge in the hands of those who can afford it.

Then again, I really don't see how anyone without a computer can live.

My dad has managed to, for 51 years now. I've seen him use a computer maybe 5 times. And not one of these times, had he ever owned the computer he was using.

Nuts. How does the man pay his bills!? Joking, of course.  

[black_wing_angel]

DioxazinePlum

black_wing_angel

DioxazinePlum

black_wing_angel

I'm not really sure, on that one. It could work as an online-only thing, but people who don't have computers, would be ********/>

Its very true that going online would isolate knowledge in the hands of those who can afford it.

Then again, I really don't see how anyone without a computer can live.

My dad has managed to, for 51 years now. I've seen him use a computer maybe 5 times. And not one of these times, had he ever owned the computer he was using.

Nuts. How does the man pay his bills!? Joking, of course.

A little thing they call "snail mail". Apparantly it's like Email, but not nearly as fast, and you have to actually WRITE words yourself, so spell check is out.

Also, he lives in a house where he doesn't have much bills. He gets his water from a well (not kidding). There's a well, which has an electric pump that pumps it to the house itself...it's rather odd, but it works.

He pays for Satalite, and Electricity, and rent. I think that's it...  

[Akikan]

i would miss the newspaper at least u know the name of the person who wrote the article. making it more credible. i dont bealive 3/4 of the s**t that i read on the inernet.  

[Misses Brinks]

If they think they'll get more money, than by all means, go online. But if it means forcing them, I disagree. I love reading the newspaper, it's fun. I don't want to have to go online just to read the Citizen.  

[village midget]

i read news on paper sporadically throughout the week...it's usefull to stockpile in the studio too...and in winter we have a fire, so it comes in very handy. :p

apart from that there is something rather pleasant about the physical article. i was a little bit sad when britain's broadsheet newspapers shrank their format to magasine size i quite enjoyed holding such big sheets of paper. also i seem to notice more in a physical paper than online, maybe it's the glazed over thing which happens skimming too many web pages in a row. and, it's is very comforting on a sunday morning to sit in bed nursing a hangover with a wekend newspaper even if it is a bit granny.

online papers make money from advertising just like google, but printers would go bust...traditional printing is already obsolete and exists now solely as an art form (i studied it at college for a year) so if physical newspapers ceased to exist a lot of people would be out of work.

with the news it seems increasingly likely that one day they will just stop printing, and the nature of the interwebs lends itself to constantly updated news...but what about books? is their future safe? could you read a book in electronic format or would it just feel wrong?  

[Fresnel]

black_wing_angel

DioxazinePlum

black_wing_angel

DioxazinePlum

black_wing_angel

I'm not really sure, on that one. It could work as an online-only thing, but people who don't have computers, would be ********/>

Its very true that going online would isolate knowledge in the hands of those who can afford it.

Then again, I really don't see how anyone without a computer can live.

My dad has managed to, for 51 years now. I've seen him use a computer maybe 5 times. And not one of these times, had he ever owned the computer he was using.

Nuts. How does the man pay his bills!? Joking, of course.

A little thing they call "snail mail". Apparantly it's like Email, but not nearly as fast, and you have to actually WRITE words yourself, so spell check is out.

Also, he lives in a house where he doesn't have much bills. He gets his water from a well (not kidding). There's a well, which has an electric pump that pumps it to the house itself...it's rather odd, but it works.

He pays for Satalite, and Electricity, and rent. I think that's it...

Wells are rare now...? Christ, we've got three wells on this property, two of them work, and between the pair of them they feed 20,000 gallons' worth of storage tanks. Seems excessive until you notice there's not a single fire hydrant in twenty miles. The tanks all have hydrant hook-ups built in for the fire trucks. But yeah, in the long run we pay for electricity and phone. We work for the ISP so we get free internet, we still run off aerial TV, the well's electric, we own the house... Yeah, power and phone.

Anyhow, I know there's a lot of people out there who do buy a paper for different things. Most of all coupons. You don't get Sunday coupons online. Personally, if I gave two shits about media outlets for my news, I'd buy a paper. I just can't read publications on a computer screen. I can read entire pages of Gaia, but if I read a book I get this terrible headache for some reason. It has to be in print.

Also, as Angel said, newspapers have their own uses. How else will we make papier-mâché? What will our rabbits poop on?  

[The Curse]

You can probably actually thank Rupert Murdoch that newspapers are still as strong as they are.

Much to the chagrin of his ceo's who want to sell them, he has quite the taste for newspapers, and he owns many all around the world.

Personally, I find it very saddening, I very much like newspapers, and their form of media reporting. I do not think they will die any time soon however. They will be reduced significantly though. Thinking a few national papers and local ones in bigger cities, regional ones in populace regions, but that's it.

Some papers have already gone online, most have actually I would think, but some will make you pay to read their articles via subscription or something similar (e.g. financial times).  

[village midget]

The Curse

You can probably actually thank Rupert Murdoch that newspapers are still as strong as they are.

...now there's a sick thought...  

[Rimama]

- Amazon's kindle. Could this save newspaper subscriptions?

Never heard of it
- How is a newspaper going to make money when its free online? Should we have to pay to view the news online?

A newspaper could try it but would most likely have a tough time getting people to pay as there is already a culture or concensus that everything on the internet is free so unless it appealed to a certain niche of people that had few other ways of accessing desired aforementioned information, as for general newspapers, it will probably not work, what will probably happen is that there will be more advertisements. On BBC for instance there is nearly always a 15 sec. commercial before every video starts regardless of length.
- Will you miss actual paper?

A bit since it has its charms and the fact that my eyes aren't strained when I read it smile red eyes are not ftw

- What about all the poor old factory workers that print the paper?

This has nearly always been an argument to preserve something old when a new technology comes along, if we want society to progress old things should not be in our interest to keep on life support, particularly if it raises inefficiency in economic terms. Technology and society evolves, that's really something people need to keep in mind. So they'll have to find new jobs, jobs change as functions in societies change as well so they'll have to adapt, one can't truly base a society upon "life support" and while my utmost sympathy goes out to them this is quite cold and harsh reality as I see it.

My 2 cents