As Thanksgiving dinner digested and the children wandered off until they heard the word dessert, newspapers became one of our many topics of conversation. My mother expressed displeasure in the local paper’s recent changes and my father scoffed at my suggestion that he was the last generation to rely on newspapers. Actually, he laughed at me in that condescending way that makes my skin crawl. “Most people don’t live in an isolated computer bubble.” He proceeded to defend his belief that newspapers are the primary news source for “regular” people. I promptly asked him when he first heard about the tragedy in Mumbai. He made a cranky remark about that area of the world and my mother’s eyes glazed over as she went to her happy place to avoid participation in this discussion. I pointlessly tried to talk about the immediate Mumbai conversations taking place over Twitter. Conversations about cases of almonds and dried fruit. Links to pictures of raw, harsh destruction. Flickr immediately upgrading someone’s account for free so that they could continue posting pictures. Pictures of clean-cut boys younger than my children with assault weapons in their hands. My words rang on deaf ears. Any doubts I may have had about the bubble that I live in were completely erased by the fact that I recognize that this world is very small and we are all too connected to deceive ourselves that we are any distance from any other country. I prefer my bubble of awareness to their bubble of, whatever you want to call it. The bubble of people who think computers are only for chain letters, memes, games and porn?
we actually changed our subscription to just the weekend in part because we really hate changes to the paper but increasingly I was skipping a day here & there and it didn’t matter I had already read all of the articles online. So I am good with the bubble as well!
I just get the sunday paper and pretty much just for the sale papers and coupons. I have the last two weeks papers sitting around collecting dust because I know there is stuff I’d find of interest. But I’m always in such a hurry, it is easier to read at my desk than take the time to sit and flip through the paper. I have become a newsjunkie in the past year or two. I check cnn and wbir constantly through the day and the thing I like most about the internet news thing is that you can comment, discuss and ask questions.
Newspapers are having trouble staying afloat. They’re losing readers and they can’t find a way to make a profit online.
I read about it on the Internet.
But, for the record, they’re proud of what you do on that there Internet. Or, more accurately, of the recognition you’ve gotten for what you do. Dad has commented on it several times.
awesome post cathy – i think you should so some pr consulting for some of the tech companies like twitter etc – you would make an awesome evangelist for this stuff!
i haven’t bought and read a newspaper for over 7 years – the free ones we get delivered are mostly used for lining reptile cages (they are 90% advertising anyway)
2 weeks ago we sat and watched the evening news on TV after a paricularly vicious storm just to see the local coverage – we couldnt remember the last time we actually watch the TV news – may have been sept 11
the heritage media system is dead – they just don’t realise it yet – they are peddling horse and carts in an internal combustion engine world
Funny, Our local papers have chosen to go green and save a forest by going on line.
That’s only going green if they actually cut production of the physical paper. They are chasing the market. The newspapers have been left behind and are struggling to figure out how to catch up. When they market “going green” that’s all it is, marketing. If they were truly going green by going online, they’d smash their presses.
Hi! Delurking to totally agree with you. I’m the granddaughter of a former small newspaperman who has a mad jones for the smell of pronter ink, and I have precisely zero paper subscriptions (although I get three magazines: two sent as gifts that I read during my once-weekly long soak in the tub, and one that’s my husband’s, which I read before he gets off work..). My mother is perpetually clipping and sending articles, which I’ve usually read (online) long before they arrive in the mail.