Why My Family Still Reads Newspapers (And You Should Too)

My family and I have a love-hate relationship with digital technology.

As the founder of a boutique content and social media marketing agency, I spend a lot of time online.

My typical day — and sometimes night — include writing and editing client articles, vetting social media posts, developing client proposals, scrutinising online analytics, reading blog posts, listening to digital marketing podcasts and crafting course content.

I also spend time blogging about what I’ve learned, curating and sharing content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus, and engaging with my followers and friends on these networks.

Compared to my peers, I’m probably more “digital” than many of them.

Dangers of Digital Addiction

At the same time, I am mindful of the dangers of digital overconsumption.

Countless studies have shown how addiction to digital devices can disrupt family lives, reduce motivation of teens to study, and usher in unhealthy social and parenting habits.

(Like continually glancing at your phone during meals, or using a tablet as a digital pacifier for toddlers.)

Focusing solely on your Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube feeds may also narrow your world view and encircle you in a filter bubble. The algorithms of these social platforms are tailored to serve you content which you’ve liked, commented on, shared, or clicked on.

This means that your inherent prejudices, stereotypes, and other bigoted beliefs (hey we all have some forms of these, like it or not) may be continually reinforced and strengthened by what you see on your screen.

You may also end up overconsuming content tailored to “go viral” — videos with emotional stories, humorous photos of babies, kittens and puppies, or articles engineered to inflame your passion.

The Value of Print Newspapers

Enter print newspapers, magazines and books.

Now I am wholly aware that the media industry is facing severe challenges in the digital age. As consumers spend a greater proportion of their daily lives online, publishers find it difficult to sustain physical newspapers and magazines.

Some of you may also say that print media may be biased, depending on which side of the spectrum they receive their patronage from.

Comparatively speaking, however, print publications like newspapers and magazines tend to be broader and more neutral in their coverage of events, personalities, and happenings than online media.

Regulated by their media authorities, they need to adhere to high journalistic standards like ensuring that facts and figures are correctly reported, interviews are accurately portrayed, and photographs used are not doctored.

Quality publications like Reader’s Digest and Time Magazine also make it a point to have different sections catering to the breadth and depth of their reader’s interests. These may include a wide variety of topics: from politics to business to current affairs to art to science and technology to leisure and entertainment.

Reading these publications broadens your horizons. The process of reading a print newspaper or magazine from cover to cover makes you cover a broader range of content than you otherwise would when browsing your newsfeed.

You are also likely to spend more time reading each article in detail — its less strenuous reading on print than on screen — and can examine each issue more deeply.

The best thing of all about newspapers and magazines are that they are a form of “pass-around” media. In other words, you are more likely to share them with your family members and friends surrounding you.

This allows you to engage those around you with common talking points revolving around a similar hot topic or breaking news which everybody is aware of.

As a physically much smaller screen, the smartphone does not provide you with the same physical “breadth” of content as a newspaper.

Rediscovering What “Social” Media Truly Means

Perhaps the most important reasons for you to read newspapers and magazines with your family members are social rather than intellectual.

Smartphones and tablets are digital devices which facilitate individual consumption. You cannot easily share what you are reading, watching or listening on a tiny screen with those around you.

On the impact of “always on” technology, Sherry Turkle warned in her TED Talk that we may end up feeling more alone with frequent device usage even though we are perpetually connected.

The slower speed of reading print publications also gives us the necessary pauses for reflection. Each page and each story is a natural break for our eyes and our minds. Contrast this with the endless stream of fresh content that you’ll find on a screen-based piece of content.

“We fill our days with ongoing connection, denying ourselves time to think and dream.” — Sherry Turkle

What are your thoughts on reading old-fashioned newspapers and magazines? Would you do what my family does?