The changing face of journalism: online maligning print?

Humans are evolving. Amidst great havoc of globalization, internet and digitization, our ways of leading life are evolving. Without any hyperbole, communication is an indispensable part of the present virtual world. Here, for the very role of information dissemination and awareness, media is actively recognized, which can be bifurcated into print and digital media. Majority of nearly 50 crore smartphone users in India spend most of their time (72 percent) surfing the net on their mobile phones. News and entertainment are two sectors most consumers tap into. No wonder, digital media platforms have witnessed exponential growth in the last few years. Sipping hot coffee/tea with the newspaper has been the quintessential start to mornings in India. But in this digital era where there are a tsunami of news apps just a tap away, many would wonder if anyone still reads the newspaper. Well does this mark the death of the newspaper in the digital era? Well, some feel the romance of newspapers may soon be a nostalgic memory of the yesteryears, while others feel the credibility of newspapers are unmatched and constant. Change is the only permanent reality, but is this change good?

The rapid boom in mobile internet users coincided with the rise in digital journalism scene. The speed of news generation and news consumption that digital media facilitates has made print a repository of second-hand information and under great stress. Internet is a ruthless medium and its users throughout the world are now able to read the news within minutes of the happening. Advances in mobile and internet technologies and the introduction of smartphones and wireless networks are the main factor to give a boost to online media. The growing popularity of online journalism, which generates news in minutes and is even consumed within a similar span has made a traditional form of journalism, which involves newspapers and magazines face existential threats. 

Indian print media is one of the largest print media in the world. Its history dates to the publication of Bengal Gazette from Calcutta in 1780 by James Augustus Hickey. The exploding digital market has changed the dynamics of media. There were many studies, surveys, and analytics done on this. Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC-India) issued a press release in May 2017, highlighting the growth of print media: “2.37 crore copies added in the last 10 years.” It clearly showed that online newspapers have not much affected the print newspaper circulation. But print has started losing young readers. The world of digital media is dominated by a generation that feeds on the internet, who wants news on demand. Other than this, the accessibility of online portals is a big plus. Reading an online newspaper is something you can do in a much shorter break than reading a newspaper. Even with notification, they keep you updated with latest, breaking events, unlike newspaper which next day gives rotten news. Further, advertisement has been the karta dharta of print, and online journalism not just lowered distribution cost but has fanned digital advertisement purposes. Digital advertisements have become a trend and are effective in persuasion. Mobile is a popular and easily accessible mode of propagating ads and ideas these days. We see innumerable of them on news applications. It is viral with core eye on readers interest.

However, at the same time, somewhere we know that the credibility that newspapers offer is missing in these news apps. Also, with a sea of news apps in the world, the newspaper happens to be the source of information for many in India.  A lot of people in India, especially the older lot prefer reading news in their local language (not only because they don’t know English) but because they are more comfortable with that. Finding a Malayalam or Bengali newspaper is much easier than a news app in that language. It still has a great reach when compared to news apps, because many in India still don’t have access to the Internet. Some still feel, the feel of a newspaper is priceless and is far better than swiping or flicking for news.

Note: I have worked in publication, so I am well equipped with the nuances of it. Clearly, these days, there seems to be a generation gap in journalism, mainstream and new media.