Newspapers, one of the oldest mediums of communication and media, have been playing a vital role in the development of civilizations, helping millions of people widen their horizons. Today, despite the birth of numerous cutting-edge platforms and search engines, newspapers are still among the most reliable sources of information, still preferred by a large number of people, especially the senior generations. With their prevalence in society, newspapers have huge impacts on the perspectives and ideas of a certain community in a way they can be easily and greatly altered. From my point of view, although the phenomenon is indispensable for some reasons, it is a negative movement with its drawbacks that will be discussed in this essay.
Several possible explanations that account for how newspapers affect their readers’ behaviours and mindsets are the constant need for data and immediate actions in the current modern and fast-changing world, the reputation this type of media has built throughout its long tradition to gain audience’s trust, and the limited chances for their users to access other sources of information. Since people need to make timely judgments and decisions, they might become overdependent on certain sources they are used to, whilst it takes much time for these readers, particularly the elderly, to learn how to use new sites, of which the credibility has not even been proven.
However, it is important to acknowledge that newspapers are not as convenient and powerful as other media when it comes to handiness and accessibility. Not only is this means of exchanging ideas less interactive than other forms such as social media platforms, text messages, and video posts, but it also offers its users access to a more limited range of insights and knowledge, compared to that of mobile phones, computers, and other electronic devices. Therefore, solely relying on newspapers to form a certain perception of a particular figure or event might not be as objective as it should be, which may lead to false or outdated beliefs.
In conclusion, useful and informative as they are, newspapers are gradually losing their race against more modern transmitting technology, not only in terms of interactivity but also with regard to the richness of data provided. Hence, collecting ideas from a diverse range of sources seems to be perceived as a better advancement by another large part of the population.