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5 Jul, 2012

Print Media Remains Popular With Students

Despite the rapidly growing popularity of smartphones and the usage of new media as part of both post-secondary education and lifestyle, traditional forms of journalism have managed to hold their place.

With countless innovations in social media and technology each year making it much simpler for students to stay updated, sometimes we question the relevance of print publications. After all, many times it often seems more convenient to turn to Twitter rather than a freshly printed copy of the Globe and Mail for a breaking news update.

However, despite the rapidly growing popularity of smartphones and the usage of new media as part of both post-secondary education and lifestyle, traditional forms of journalism have managed to hold their place.

The recent article from radio station NPR’s website Millennials and Print Newspapers: A Surprising Story highlights this fact. According to research conducted by the Pew State of the News Media study, almost a quarter of young people between the ages of 18-24 are reading print newspapers.

While many experts in the field of journalism may argue that print is reaching its expiration date and we will solely rely on online media in the near future, studies are proving otherwise. As humans, we are naturally visual creatures and attracted to the tangible and vibrant. It is much easier to expose viewers to images which capture their attention through print (especially vital in the realm of advertising).

NPR also reports that evidently, 52 per cent of young adults in the same age range are picking up a newspaper at least once a month. In many cases, the statistic may be even higher than that, therefore predicting possibly a much brighter future for print than many of us expected!