The Internet Beats Out Newspapers as a Source of News

Like those of you reading this article now, so too are many Americans turning on their computers and going online to find out what is happening in the world. According to a new study from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press for the first time since the stats were recorded, the internet surpassed the newspaper as a source for getting news. While the internet still lags behind the television for a news source, the fact that the internet beat the newspaper speaks to the ever evolving technical world in which we now live (source: news.yahoo.com).

No surprise that it is a youth movement of sorts that is making the internet more and more popular for a media outlet. According to the study, for Americans younger than 30 years old, a staggering 59% get their news from the internet. That figure represents a huge increase from the same study of one year earlier as it was up from 34%. While the wording of the survey allowed for respondents to site more than one source, 59% of the under 30 crowd said they got their news from the television as well as online. But the study showed a 10% drop from the previous year for the pre-30's group when it came to the TV being the only source of news. Not to be outdone, the traditional print of a newspaper actually went from 23% to 25% in the younger generation, but was not nearly enough to claim the top or even second spot (source: news.yahoo.com).

While no one can say for sure why this trend is continuing perhaps it is the fact that when you go online to the internet for your news you can find what you are looking for easier. There is no page flipping like with a newspaper and unlike a TV you don't have to wait for the commercials to play in-between stories.

Searchabilty must also play a role. How frustrating is it to watch the news on TV only to be teased for a half hour about the story you want to see? That is how the stations operate in order to retain the audience for as long as they can to show more commercials. Yes it is all about the dollar. But online you can go right to your Yahoo or Google search bar and type in what you want to read about. Any advertisements are off harmlessly to the side of the article and you don't have to wait out the teaseling.

Variety and availability are also probably among some factors leading to the technical revolution. With the internet, there is no late stored that won't make it to the press because the internet is 24-7. You don't have to wait until 11:00pm for the news to come on or wait until the morning for the newspaper to be delivered. Beyond that there are stories and articles being added to the internet literally every second of every day making the internet a much fresher source for news.

Whatever the case may be, the fact is that the internet is now number two when it comes to a news source. Television be warned the younger generation is coming for you next. While there will certainly always be a television the day may be here soon where it is integrated into our computers and accessed like the internet.