In the modern era, the popularity of the internet has become undeniable. Some people argue that newspapers will be outdated. I strongly agree with this opinion due to the pervasiveness of the internet and its global outreach.
To begin with, the internet has facilitated people’s access to international news. Nowadays, individuals can mostly get instant newsfeeds on official websites of reliable journals and social media platforms. News of wars, epidemics, and natural disasters around the world can be reported immediately through Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Moreover, short videos and reels featuring interviews with professionals and policymakers can be watched through platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. This enhanced level of connectivity and accessibility has broadened people’s horizons and expanded their knowledge on different urgent topics and priorities, whether locally or internationally. This, in turn, has played an influential role in public awareness of diverse cultural backgrounds, current affairs, and trends worldwide.
Admittedly, critics of this view contend that the internet has allowed the ubiquity of fake news, misinformation, gossip, and biased opinions. However, this argument overlooks the fact that many people rely heavily on trusted websites belonging to official bodies or famous, credible sources such as academic institutions or scientific journals. Additionally, many individuals try to practice media literacy to critically analyze, evaluate, and criticize news by cross-checking multiple websites before trusting news and forming opinions. That is regularly done to prevent the presence of information bubbles, where people are subjected to one-sided views that can be biased or prejudiced. Conversely, traditional print media faces significant structural limitations. Physical newspapers are considered expensive due to the rising costs of paper in the world. Issues related to delayed reporting may arise from different time zones and the availability of reporters in areas of disturbance. Moreover, traditional newspapers lack the element of interactivity. Therefore, they may fail to attract the attention of younger people in the long term.
In conclusion, although the internet can be a fertile place for misinformation and misleading news, in my opinion, the internet outperforms traditional newspapers in terms of availability, connectivity, and outreach. I predict that in the future, most people will rely heavily on reliable websites and social media to be informed of the current news, and physical newspapers may be obsolete.