The chart indicates the proportion of people utilising 4 different types of mass media to stay up to date namely: The Internet, Newspapers, Radios and TVs over the 30-year interval starting in 1995.
Overall, it is clear that the ratio of societies’ access to information from 3 categories: Newspapers, TVs and the radio witnesses a decrease, while the reverse pattern can be seen in that of the Internet. Specifically, the proportion of people gaining access to news through TVs held the lion’s share. However, this figure is surpassed by the figure of the Internet by the end of the period.
Looking at the graph in more details, in the first year (1995), television was the leading source of news, with 70% of the surveyed population using it. Meanwhile, radio and newspapers were relied on by approximately 57% and 52%, respectively. Throughout the years, however, the prevalence of these 3 mass media has declined, with television experiencing a 20% drop by the end of the period, while the usage rates for newspapers and radio are projected to be reduced by half.
Regarding the other remaining sectors, in the first year, a reverse pattern could be seen in the rate of people using the Internet to get news. 5 years later, there was an upsurging trend in that of the Internet. Initially, its usage for news was 0%, starting at around 2% in 2000, but it rocketted to 40% by the end of the year 2000. Projections depict that this trend will go on, and by 2025, the Internet is expected to supersede TV as the majority news source, reaching 55%.