The Insipid News Epidemic
New social media are taking over newspapers. That’s nothing new. While more and more newspaper copies remain unsold, people get all the information they need (or they think they need) on Facebook, Snapchat, 9GAG and various other online platforms. Even though almost all newspapers are purchasable as PDF copies and most articles are also published on the newspapers’ websites, people seem to prefer reading news on social networks.
But why’s that? I tried to find my own answer.
First of all, I asked myself why I get so much information on Facebook. To be honest, I don’t look for news or articles when I scroll down the homepage, but it's kinda the opposite: news look for me. Let me be more clear: I’ve noticed that the kind of articles which pop up on my Facebook are usually about staff that is supposed to interest me - ergo, Facebook is using algorithms to monitor what I like/dislike and offer me what SHOULD be more suitable for me. And, even though I can’t say I like being sorta spied on, I have to admit that it can be quite handy, sometimes. This way, while I’m just trying to get distracted to get distracted or to occupy some spare time by doing something absolutely futile, I can also acquire some sort of useful knowledge.
The second (and last) question I asked myself was: why do I tend to avoid online newspapers? The answer was almost immediate: I really can’t stand those vapid clickbait-article. I used to visit newspapers’ websites quite a lot, once, but after a while I remarked that most news were completely useless and insipid, so I gradually stopped looking for news. Moreover, even the interesting articles were mostly poorly written and boring, sometimes they even contained grammar mistakes.
This last consideration made me realise that perhaps one way newspapers (or at least online newspapers) can survive, is trying to differentiate their material from those news found on social networks. I can find all the clickbait bull…*BEEP* I need on Facebook, if I want to, but I’d appreciate a well-written website full of relevant information. And I’m pretty convinced I’m not the only one.
The whole point I’m trying to make here is: quality > quantity. Or, at least, that’s what I think.
