There’s something to be said about technology and the advances that mankind has made in this field – it can evoke emotions that are on the extreme ends of the emotional spectrum. There are times when you love it and others when you hate it with an equal passion. There are times when you use it to your advantage and others when you’re taken advantage of because of it. There are times when you don’t understand and others when you wish you didn’t. In short, you don’t know how you feel about technology because the whole issue is more than a little complicated.
Of late, we’ve been hearing a lot about how technology is bringing about a transformation in the print media – news that’s not good to those who toil towards bringing us the news from around the world. There’s a gradual shift from the reliance on newspapers and magazines towards the web and other instant sources of news. The youth of today have no time to unravel a newspaper in the morning or any other part of the day or wait a week or a fortnight for the next issue of a magazine to arrive. They’re more the instant coffee kind – they want their news right here and now, and the Internet caters to their demand.
This means that the traditional print industry is feeling a very nasty pinch because new subscribers are hard to come by and also because some of the old ones are gravitating towards the Web. Herd mentality is reigning supreme as sponsors too make a beeline to where the results (and hence profits) can be seen. And as a result of this, newspapers are forced to cut costs by reducing their expenditure on technology and manpower.
While these are downsizing measures are meant to cut costs, they can actually backfire on the print media and put them at a greater disadvantage – by failing to invest in technology, they’re failing to keep up with the times. And by failing to retain experienced and talented employees, they’re losing the edge over the competition when it comes to human resources. Good editors, journalists and photojournalists who know their stuff are hard to come by these days, and with the Internet offering those who have been laid off new avenues of work, these companies are only helping their competition grow by offering them their talent on a platter.
But no matter how technology grows, no matter how instant news becomes, there will always be a demand for the traditional newspaper – those who are of the old school know that no matter how convenient instant coffee is, there’s a greater pleasure to be found in slowly sipping a cup of the real thing; no matter how easily available e-books are, there’s a higher satisfaction in turning the pages of a real book; and that no matter how many online news sites open up for business, there’s a simpler enjoyment to be found in starting your day with a newspaper and a cup of coffee – both of which are the real thing!
This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of Top Photography College Rankings. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.
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