The Advantages of Digital Newspaper over Traditional Newspaper - Research Paper Example

The Advantages of Digital Newspaper over Traditional Newspaper Abstract This paper seeks to expound the advantages of contemporary digital newspaper over the traditional printed form of the newspaper. The advent of the information age has changed many aspects of communicating various media for public consumption. In addition, the speed of such information is so quick that it easily spreads through the public sphere. With the ever increasing access of digital news media to a wide population of people, news and current events can easily be disseminated over far and wide areas as long as there is available technology that can interface with media. The Advantages of Digital Newspaper over Traditional Newspaper While printed newspapers are still being churned from printing houses, the growing development and rise of digital newspapers have lessened the advantages of traditional newspapers. The main point to be driven in this paper is that digital newspapers are better than traditional newspapers because it can spread information and make such updates in near real time speed through the use of the Internet and computer technology. Before the arrival of the digital information age of the 21st century, much of news media was read and researched through newspaper print materials. Printing houses and printing companies were booming as printed newspapers were being churned from such places. People would pick up the printed newspapers and simply read them as the day progresses. Prior to the development and mass production of personal household computers, much of the news, events and gossips were only available through printed newspapers or printed tabloids. People could carry newspapers almost everywhere since it was not much of a burden to carry. It is never difficult for people to have a hold of newspapers for as long as there is a printing and publishing house around to distribute. This is usually possible for highly developed urbanized cities and towns since publishing houses would always establish these centers for the public’s consumption. While news through radios were also available during that time, it did not mean that the public audience would always retain the information. Even though reports were quick enough to be aired through the radio waves, people may tend to forget the events being reported through the radios, unless they have to be hassled to pull a piece of scratch paper while taking down notes. The arrival of the computer age during the 1990’s, the rapid development in computer and digital science and technology, as well as the changes on how the working culture of individuals were seen as a catalyst for change on how newspaper media would eventually change its medium, as well as for sending and making news reports available. These changes were part of the new age of the century called the Information Age. The character of the Information Age was all about the speed and accessibility of information to a huge number of population centers, which caters to the concept of contemporary mass media. This decade would also be called the Digital Age since there was the rapid growth and development in computer science and technology, which resulted to the rapid computerization of the different aspects of life, including media. This marked one of the differences with regard to the nature of traditional printed newspapers against that of the digital media newspapers. The inherent purpose to which traditional printed newspapers have is to just cater to a certain population that it could reach, such as merely within a given area like a town, city, or country. On the other hand, the beginning of Globalization during the 1990’s, which went hand in hand with the Information and Digital Age, made the objectives of digital newspapers appealing to many. By the passing of the 90’s, with the trend of various nations’ economies on the further research and development of computer technology, and also the rise of the Internet technology, the value and importance of digital newspaper was gaining better advantage than traditional printed newspapers. Since personal computers became more accessible as much as the Internet, for most people, digital newspapers deemed to be more convenient. Having access online opened more chances for digital newspapers, like news that can be sent through broadcast form of journalism, or those that can be aired with accurate timing. News companies are seen as more credible, and would gain better trust and confidence with the public market sector. Hence, those effects would help its business to keep on operating. Since there is a constant demand for live or near real time information, companies would opt to make full and advantageous use of digital newspapers. Journalists could now use online blogs to post their reports over the Internet domain. Even news reporters are now being trained to capture live feed of events in a way that could be converged with the computer and Internet interface and systems. It should also be noted that many traditional newspaper companies have developed their media methods by establishing Internet websites that have digital newspapers available. Although there continues to be the existence and continuing production and distribution of printed media, the growing and increasing numbers of advantages of making use of digital newspaper are growing more apparent. This was observed by Alan (2010) who posited: There have been many times where a new technological development have brought about predictions of the demise of an older technology. It was widely proclaimed that television would kill radio and the movies. Some also said that the emergence of online stores and commerce would kill traditional physical retailing. Along the same line of thought, many predicted the end of physically printed magazines and newspapers with the advent of digital publishing of these media. None of these predictions have as of yet come true, but the growing presence and benefits of digital newspapers and magazines is a fact. It should be taken into consideration that the availability of personal computers has made the prediction of the diminishing advantages of the traditional printed newspapers more apparent. Despite the credibility printed newspapers have since such news media has been around for centuries, production is more costly than digital newspapers. The production of newspapers is not as cost-efficient in the long run when in competition with the new digital newspapers. Smaller scale publications that do not have the same attention of large-scale brands may offer lower advertisements. It also costs more resources to have paper purchased and printed in such a large amount or volume. There is also the environmental concern in relation to the use of printed newspapers. The recent movement of society to be more environmentally conscious and friendly has made news-publishing companies lessen the usage of paper materials since papers, which are made from trees or other plant life, do not help the preservation of the environment if too much of it used. Another advantage that digital newspapers have over printed newspapers is the matter of logistics. Here lies a simple, if not rhetorical, question. Is it easier to transport information written on paper, or information that can be sent through signal waves or digital transmission? The answer is very much obvious and granted that it is easier to send and less a cost to send news via digital newspaper. There is no need to have news transported in heavy bundles or packages for the public to read. The need to pay for transportation supply fees of printed newspaper cargo, such as having to pay for delivery services and help in the maintenance of the vehicles, is no longer a serious matter of expense since digital newspapers can be delivered, or rather sent, directly to the Internet and is immediately available for public consumption and entertainment. Another logistical problem that would be solved is the issue of maintenance and storage of the newspaper itself. Traditional printed newspapers would need to have their resource materials stored before it becomes a printed broadsheet, while digital newspapers could be stored in a mere hard drive. Another advantage that digital newspapers have over the traditional printed newspapers is the issue of production. The question between the two forms of newspaper is, which is faster and cheaper to produce? Traditional printed newspapers need many massive printing types of machinery that could print out a huge number of printed newspapers. The use of such machinery would require costs to maintain such equipment to keep the operations running. This also means that there is a space needed for the machinery to operate, which also needs to have constant maintenance. Another aspect of production is that the writing and printing of articles should be extremely careful as to avoid errors, which means that it is more time consuming for the traditional printed newspaper to be processed. In the case of digital newspapers, all such problems are not as big a deal as the traditional printed newspaper production. In the matter of means of production, digital newspapers just need computers and Internet access modems or WIFI routers, which need not have the same number as massive printing machines. These also need maintenance, but not as tedious as having to piece apart completely a printing machine. Aside from that, writers can also edit mistakes or loose ends in their articles with speed because of the computer technology that they have at hand. If any errors were made, the process could just be rectified quickly, and an edited article can be posted. Another advantage that can be taken to account is the issue of speed in the delivery of information. With the traditional printed newspapers, more time is needed to produce, deliver, and distribute a newspaper. What makes traditional printed newspapers more time consuming is the delivery and the distribution. It will take some time to have printed newspapers spread around, either on foot or by vehicle, and that also means that its distribution to the mass public will also be dependent on the pacing of the deliverers. With digital newspapers, the process is cut to merely the production then distribution. Since digital newspapers can be distributed over the cyberspace with just a few clicks, newspaper articles are immediately available to the public through the Internet. Lastly, the digital newspaper has an advantage over the traditional newspaper because it caters to the current technological trends of today’s society and people. Being in the Information and Digital Age, it could be said that most of the world’s society has an access to a computer and to the Internet. Digital newspapers were developed for the sake and convenience of today’s technologically aware society. Peeter (2009) expounded this in his article: Digital newspapers are more convenient than the ordinary newspapers as you can avoid the hassle of flipping through pages. People don’t have enough time to sit down with a paper text and sift through page after page to find what they are looking for. The only way for newspapers to survive is for them to adapt to the changing times. They have to move into the era of the downloadable newspaper, so called the e-newspaper. So, newspapers are now converting themselves into digital newspapers. It could be said then that traditional printed newspapers will have to adapt with the ever-changing technological landscape in society and the world trends. Most of the public masses in highly urbanized or highly developed population areas are more in touch with the digital technology and would prefer to read their information through the computer or electronic screen than having the trouble to flip over the pages of the newspaper, which would end up as trash or waste in the end. With that point being noted, traditional print media must either adapt or change its ways, or else, it would be rendered as near obsolete. In other words, traditional print media would have to apply its format with that of the digital newspaper distribution. This issue was pointed out by Friedman (2009) who posited that: Digital media and traditional media are at a crossroads -- and when it comes to research and measurement, marketers are having difficulty knowing which way to turn. Since the dawn of the TV-era, countless dollars have been spent developing data-capture and analytics tools. But, the TV-centric model of measurement is obsolete. Media channel crossover is becoming more complex: television ads are linked to product Web sites, product Web sites lead to social media sites, and social media sites connect users with other users who are talking to each other about the product. Consumers are engaged with multiple channels simultaneously. The global trends in media will always look for the timeliest means or methods of news distribution to people. The choice of changing and focusing from traditional print newspapers to digital newspapers should be taken as a pragmatic business move as well. With the growing interest of individuals for the latest technological gadgetry for the sake of convenience and leisure, digital newspapers would really come out as the winner in the long run, as against traditional newspapers. Digital newspapers would be less costly to maintain, quick to distribute information, especially right after events have unfolded, and would gain more profit because it caters not to a limited market, but to a global market. In conclusion, the companies behind the production of traditional print newspapers would most probably have to give way to the digital newspaper since the current and developing trends in world society, and technological developments in computer, communication and information technology, demand the timely speed by which information will be distributed. Since computer technology and the Internet is very much available to most people in the world today, the digital newspaper will continue to be in the advantage over traditional printed newspaper to cater to the ever growing public demand for the most quick and accurate source of news information. References Alan, M. (2010). Digital magazines and newspapers - The advantages for publishers and Users. Retrieved from http://www.amazines.com/Publishing/article_detail.cfm/1343302?articleid=1343302 Friedman, D. (2009). Digital media and traditional media: Will it blend?. Retrieved from http://chiefmarketer.com/advertising/digital/0519-digital-media-traditional-media/ Peeter, M. (2009). Digital newspapers and magazines: Changing trends with changing time. Retrieved from http://micalpeeter.articlesbase.com/software-articles/digital-newspapers-and-magazines-changing-trends-with-changing-time-1321319.html Read More