Pointlife
Students, such as Amanda Franzen, still find it to be a fruitful endeavor to review events of the world outside of a computer screen.
Magazines and newspapers survive in modern times
Pointlife Reporter
Despite exponential growth of online media in recent years, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point students still use print media. While online media has its benefits, students who relied on print media before continue to do so today.
An exception to the popularity of print media is online articles. Many students feel that online newspapers are much more convenient than the print version.
Ben Krahn likes that he has the ability to seek out which source to get his information from. He also prefers the instant newsfeeds rather than waiting for the next day’s paper. And of course, for a college student, nothing beats the free price tag on online newspapers.
Another aspect to online media is the ever-popular social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. While some students feel these sites are distracting, most agree that they provide a much-needed escape from study and work. These Web sites aren’t replacements to reading. Instead, they are an alternative leisure activity.
Aside from online articles from newspapers and blogs, UW-SP students agree that it is most convenient to read a newspaper or magazine in paper form.
Magazines allow for minimal time commitment, as readers can skim however many articles that time permits. For busy college students this is ideal.
Although magazines often provide articles on their official Web site, the time it takes to sift through each month’s features to get to the new stuff doesn’t win over any fans.
Also, Krahn notes that the need for information right away dissipates when the article isn’t news-related.
“When I read online it’s because I want new information about my favorite sports team or to keep up on politics, but if I want to read a magazine it’d be better just to take that time to relaxÖit doesn’t need to be instant,” Krahn said.
High school English teachers should rejoice that most students continue to read “real” books. Those interested in reading as a pasttime have not replaced this activity for online reading using engines such as Google books and Twitter.
Sure, the addition of online media helps to minimize unnecessary paper waste, but sometimes there just isn’t a substitution for reading print media.
Angela Steingraber, an English education major, simply prefers reading a print book over reading online.
“I do believe that [reading online] is a more ëgreen’ way to go by using the Internet, but I prefer newspaper, magazines, etcÖ,” said Steingraber.
Sitting at a desk and continuously using the scroll bar can get annoying. Even mild headaches can occur from eye strain due to staring at a screen for too long. Basic discomfort seems to rule out any online reading that extends beyond a quick article or online posting.
While online media seems to be favored among college students for social networking, articles and other informational inquiries, nothing beats the experience of reading an actual print magazine or book. The addition of online media is a positive one. It helps students stay informed by being more available than print forms.
For now, the print media is managing to stay alive, proving the two mediums can both work in unison for the benefit of all readers.
