The Death Of Print Media

In many countries, the newspaper industry was the only means by which news could be transmitted to large groups of people for more than a century. Similarly, glossy magazines have occupied a space in our consciousness for quite some time and there are still many avid readers. The problem is that the readership for all forms of print media has declined over the past few decades to the point that once mighty names in the industry have begun to consolidate and close their doors. This trend shows no signs of letting up and in the foreseeable future there may be very little left of print media at all. The reasons for this are addressed more fully below.

Environmental Concerns

Printing of newspapers and magazines which are intended to be used for a fairly brief period of time takes up a great deal of paper. Even where that paper is made from recycled sources, the nature of the product is such that it still results in a sizable contribution to the landfills. Many of these same landfills were poorly designed in the first place and have long exceeded their storage capacity. Paper may be a fairly biodegradable item but it is bulky and printing things that will only be read once or twice is hardly Eco friendly.

Lower Attention Span

The modern youth is much less interested in reading printed information than those of previous generations.The wide availability of more interesting uses of time has made attention spans shorter. It seems nonsensical to spend time reading a very static article when the time could easily be diverted to games with flashing graphics and constant sounds. Even those who enjoy being informed on daily happenings may find themselves bored by the news in print.

Range of Alternatives

This may be the biggest reason that newspapers and magazines are dying. The internet makes it possible to learn about something seconds after it has taken place. Micro-blogging sites can be updated by celebrity in no time at all so that they are more up to date than papers can ever be. As a result, many media companies have very active social media presences. This allows them to survive in some form as the industry they are part of evolves.

History has seen many products and services lose their position of importance. In this case media will become something new and more interactive so perhaps this change can be considered a good one..