Do People Still Read Newspapers in 2022?

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Sienna Harrison

This graphic drawing shows a decline in Newspapers over the years. The places boarded up shows the closed Newspaper companies. The two walking figures wrote for a newspaper and their newspaper just closed because barely anyone reads newspapers anymore and their talking about how the last newspaper company standing will close soon.

According to a survey held in February 2022, just 12 percent of U.S. adults used newspapers as a daily news source. Meanwhile, over 40 percent reported never reading newspapers to keep them up to date, making them even less popular than radio. America saw the loss of an average of two newspapers per week between late 2019 and May 2022. If the trend continues, a third of newspapers will be lost by 2025, according to the 2022 study published by Northwestern university. Despite these problems, newspaper companies with a significant brand value publishing their work online have substantially increased viewership. The decline of newspapers has various adverse consequences at the local level. Research has linked newspaper closures to declines in citizens’ civic engagement, increases in government waste, and increases in political polarization. The fall of local news has also been linked to the increased “nationalization” of local elections.

Every major magazine and newspaper company, from the New York Times to The Star too, Vogue and Sin Chew Daily, now has websites to post their articles. When the pieces are posted online, they can be shared virtually through other social platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter. Undoubtedly, the demands for physical media outlets like magazines and newspapers have drastically declined. Although they are not as popular as they used to be, people still read newspapers. Having a portable physical copy of something is quite desirable for people who enjoy reading. Like a book, people can take newspapers wherever they go and read at their own pace. Many people want the idea of carrying around something to read.

The reason newspapers continue declining in the United States is a shift toward online content. People find it more conducive to engaging in an online newspaper subscription, which is cheap and leads to more information. Newspapers are rigid because they limit your ability to look for more information while reading. While reading online content, people may click on other links, which leads to additional stories and news. Additionally, most people have access to information almost instantly online. However, some stories are more intelligent when someone reads them from a newspaper than reading online, for example, investigative reporting.

Most of the United States population is between 13 and 45(U.S. Department of commerce). This group has developed or been born into a technological age. People aged above that have reported frequent usage of a print newspaper. Although the information on the internet may not be verified, many people use it to spread news, which is reported in newspapers more than 8 hours later. Additionally, most media houses of all kinds have social media accounts that say events as they happen through live streams and instant updates.