News is everywhere and elsewhere from social media to websites. But does anyone still read newspapers in this digital age aside from the so-called “boomers”?
I roamed around Session Road in Baguio City one Sunday looking for anything interesting. Baguio residents would know that Sundays are usually crowded with people buying goods and pasalubong. While walking around, I saw a street vendor beside a famous fast-food chain selling everything from candies to other snacks. But what caught my attention were the newspapers with those humongous headlines that he was also selling.
The last time I ever held a newspaper was in the mid-2010s. Reading newspapers then brought knowledge since this was where I got current information in case my gadgets were confiscated. My late grandmother kept our newspaper subscription even if our family had already connected to a stable internet connection.
But as I grew up, I saw how dependency on newspapers for information and knowledge has declined. I used to say that newspapers were for “boomers” and I didn’t want to waste my money to spend for them. Why buy newspapers when other methods allow for two-way communication that offers instant feedback and you can use emojis to react to the news?
I became reluctant to buy newspapers not only because we are now in the digital age but because I did not want to waste P20 of my student allowance. I juggled part-time jobs such as commissions for write-ups and tutorials just to add to my allowance to help support my growing living expenses. But eventually, I decided to buy a newspaper to satisfy my curiosity.I immediately noticed that the newspaper was not as thick as before. The internet has indeed changed print media. I recall in 2017, a local kid magazine went out of production due to the digital age.
As I turned the few pages of the newspaper, I still felt the familiarity of the almond-like fragrance that I was once addicted to as a child. Despite the lack of classified ads with companies preferring digital methods now, some sections remained such as news, entertainment and lifestyle, opinion and editorial, and sports. Reading the newspaper brought back not only memories but also gave me a respite from digital fatigue.
I am still amazed at how publications can maintain their presence despite the coming of the digital age. As the habits of people are changing, I worry about the future of newspapers. But as long as people like myself exist, newspapers can still thrive.
I remain eager to buy and read newspapers to ease my overreliance on digital media just like how I previously turned to digital to break my overreliance on newspapers.
Ronald G. De Guzman Jr.,rgdeguzman1@up.edu.ph