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The death of newspapers does not mean the death of journalism. Good writers and researchers will always be needed to find the news and compose it in a comprehensible way. The rise of online only alters how news is distributed and gives more people distributional power – as well as power over what classifies as “news”. As millions become more obsessed with constant connectivity, there is the threat of information overload, said Bernie Hogan from Netlab. But, ultimately, online news is powerful because it has the ability to easily spread information around the world. Tweaks will need to be made, just as Shirky said: “Now is the time for experiments”.
Clay Shirky’s 2009 blogpost titled :”Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable” depicted the end to newspapers and ultimately journalism. It got so many hits and comments because he honed in on a topic that was plaguing a lot of people. The question on everyone’s minds: Will online news wipe out the newspaper industry?
Two years later, the future of newspapers is still looking grim. But “Shirky’s main point was that you can’t put a stop to technological progression,” said blogger Lars Hillesheim. People need to stop pouting and learn to roll with the punches. “As long as people learn how to react to the changes. . .they’ll get their chances,” he said.
Star columnist, Antonia Zerbisias agrees that the future of newspapers is not looking great, but noted new inventions that have come along since Shirky’s post that can merge newspapers and technology – such as electronic readers. “Things change and they change fast. Maybe people will read or buy newspapers on Kindle-like devices,” she said.
