Since the invention of the wheel, mankind has steadily invented new technology to adapt to the changing world around them.
The 20th and 21st centuries have seen drastic changes in this country and throughout the world, and humans continue to reach of the stars in terms of technological advancement.
Technology has affected the way we fight wars: trading hand to hand combat for Internet viruses.
It has changed the way people communicate, interact and even romance, moving away from love letters and fireside chats towards text messages and IM’s.
Technology has also affected the journalism community and how people receive the news.
Journalists and the public should not be mourning the fade-out of print, but rather celebrating the exciting new journey we are all embarking on.
The first newspaper in North America was printed in Boston in 1690, according to wan-press.org, but newspapers weren’t widely distributed until the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century.
Nearly a hundred years later, the Internet began to surface as a public entity. The Internet has proved to be one of most important invention of the last two centuries, bar none.
As the public adapted to the new technology, the news organizations also had to adjust.
This scares a lot of people.
A lot of people and most journalists look on the decrease in print newspapers sentimentally, which is understandable.
While a daily newspaper used to be a staple in the American household, the availability and quickness of online journalism began to take hold and choke out their print counterparts.
But instead of fearing for jobs and holding fast to the old ways, we should be embracing all of the possibilities before us.
iPhones and computers offer the public easy access to 24/7 hour, up to the minute news, and it offers journalists the opportunity to expand their craft.
A reporter can write a story for their publication that is just 400 words of information and nothing more. Or they can take that same story, put it on the Internet, and embed videos, photos and podcasts.
It’s no wonder that the majority of the people in this country would rather get the news on their phones and computers than pick up a newspaper.
The invention of the iPad and similar devices offer journalists and page designers the ability to retain and even improve their skills.
With this new technology, designers can put videos and interactive applications right on their publication’s pages for the public to enjoy.
As the world changes, people must change. Even journalists.
(Dustin Johnson)
