Traditional Media vs. New Media

With the new advances in technology, soon everything will be offered to us online. And that may be the only source in which to find information. The New York Times may no longer be a physical paper since more and more people are using the internet to stay updated about current events. A poll was done that mentioned about 21.7% of Mashable readers said they got their news from a newspaper (2010). Therefore, one can assume that the traditional newspaper may potentially be replaced. With mobile devices that allow us to access the Internet, our lives have become much easier. These devices are more eco-friendly, since the use of paper would no longer be needed. In addition, the ability to access information with the click of a button is so fast and easy. 

Smartphone’s and iPods have allowed us to access information at a quicker rate and during our convenience. We now have the ability to search articles and other news that we may find interesting with these tools. Also, with the endless amount of articles that we have access to, sometimes we choose to briefly skim or even read the synopsis at the beginning of the article to get a feel for the actual content. This relates back to Nicholas Carr's piece "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

Another article that I found is based off a study in Sweden in which shows that traditional media is more prominent in children and adolescent years, especially when it comes to educational textbooks and nonfiction. Those between the ages of 9 and 14 are said to have spent 75 percent of their media time on traditional media, and those between 15 and 24 years of age spend about 60 percent. The article also goes on to say that the internet is there to complement older media, and not necessarily to substitute it (PhysOrg 2012). In other words, there is not a direct negative correlation between internet use and traditional media usage.

In some ways I do agree with this article. I feel that most children and adolescents are used to the traditional media and prefer it overall; however, I do feel that new technology is becoming more prominent in the world and individuals are learning to use it at a younger age.  Eventually I feel that traditional media could become less relevant. However, the news as a commodity is not going anywhere and new media has helped to make it accessible at quicker and easier rates than traditional media.

"Internet Does Not Make Young People Abandon Traditional Media: Study." PhysOrg.com. 26 Mar. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-internet-young-people-abandon-traditional.html>.

O'Dell, Jolie. "Featured in Social Media." Mashable. 8 Sept. 2010. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://mashable.com/2010/09/08/nytimes-print/>.