I belong to the somewhat odd, yet fortunate generation that was born right after Generation X and just before Millennials: the late 1970s to early 1980s births. At times, my generation is referred to as Generation Y, but most of the time, it is carelessly combined with Millennials. But the major identifier that separates my generation from Millennials is the fact that my childhood was devoid of the Internet and digital technology. I only started experiencing such technological advancements during my teens, and I took pleasure in learning how to use modern devices exactly like the rest of the world. That said, the rate at which my generation assimilated this technology was a lot faster than older generations, and before we knew it, we were navigating these systems just like Millennials. Yet, we are also fortunate enough to remember the old school methods of writing, communicating, reading, and consuming media.
Having been exposed to the best of both worlds, I personally prefer to access news digitally, because it is timelier and less cumbersome. However, I am not into sharing and commenting about news on social media, mainly because of my busy schedule, but also because I am not into it. I attribute my lack of passion towards social media to my age. Although a lot of my peers are constantly on social media, I simply prefer other pastimes. I am more likely to consume articles and click on news links on social media than I am to share them. Most of the time, I access news traditionally by clicking the URL of my favorite websites, and I have a mental list of preferred news sites with their respective URLs. If I am on the go during a busy day, I access the same websites, but from my smartphone. I also have a Yahoo! News widget on my phone that gives me news updates, and I have the option of clicking on the news items that grab my attention.
When all is said and done, my media consumption habits are similar to most people in the 21st century. The only difference is when it comes to social media, I consume news passively as it is restricted to what appears on my Facebook newsfeed. I do, however, access my own favorite sites regularly. Like everybody else, I am also making the transition to accessing news on my mobile device, and I increasingly do so at the expense of my laptop computer. But at the end of the day, with so many ways an individual can consume the news, each and every medium is relevant and counts, despite people’s dismissal of old-fashioned media such as print. It is important for news organizations to continue to deliver content using all available platforms, and to serve all demographics and all age groups no matter how polarizing their media consumption habits are across the different generations they belong to.
