The demise of newspapers might be expected with the rise of a new generation. It reflects our desire for progress and desire to create an easier way of living.
The advent of the Internet allowed for breaking news to be heard a few minutes after it happened. News was now free and available 24 hours a day. This appeals to the younger generation, because of their multi-tasking lifestyle they are less likely to sit down and read a paper.
Each generation born after 1920 has read less news than the generation before. According to a study done by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) in 1970, 72.7% of adults ages 18-24 read the daily newspaper. That percentage continued to decrease and was down by 48.1% in 1997.
The Internet allows for those who would not normally read the news to be exposed to it. Popular homepages such as Yahoo open with breaking news as their headline. When information is thrown at you on the Internet like this it is hard to avoid it.
It is important to be exposed to the news because in order to be an active citizen in a democratic society, one has to know what is going on in society. Since newspapers do not appeal to the rising younger generation, it is important that a new medium for news (such as the Internet) is created that does appeal to them.
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