The Traditional Newspaper Industry vs. the Technology Driven News Media - Predatory or Complementary Behaviour: Issues, Trends, Prospects and Emerging Realities of the Print Media faced with Emerging Technological Directions in the Sri Lankan Context

Abstract

There is an emerging research interest worldwide about the nexus between the print media and the technological advancement in modern communications. The relevant corollary in this context is the fate of the print news media itself. A very pertinent question is how hard technology, namely the advancement in hardware, copes with the exponential mutations in web-based communications. Research carried out globally project to the possibility that the newspaper industry, famously connoted as “that sells letters to readers and sells readers to advertise”, is faced with “inevitable extinction” in the “near future”. Studies carried out across the globe lead to suggest an eventual demise of the print media due to the fact that people as a percentage of total population are hooked on to the worldwide web for almost every bit of information they seek, be it current or historical, basic or in-depth. Research estimates predict that the last newspaper prints in the USA would occur by 2040, whereas, internet users have been growing exponentially, and currently stand at 65% of the USA population. The picture in North America is even more decisive notching a whopping 78.6% of the population using internet access while Europe is having about 61.3% population hooked on to it. In the meantime, the late starters are also doing a fast catching up job. For instance, in South America it reads at 43.3%,Central America 32.6%, the Caribbean 28.7%, and Asia at 26.2%. The rise in the internet penetration in many countries is accompanied by a corresponding decline in the print media share. Not only in developed countries has this trend been in evidence, but also in developing countries. With the rapid enhancements in mobile telecommunication technology and drastic gains in costs of telecommunication infrastructure development, the worldwide web is becoming accessible to rural and far reaching places; more and more people opt for web-based news through mobile, notebooks and tablets. While this is the most visible trend, newspapers too have moved into new technology – based communication spheres for greater advantages, production economies and most notably for a global reach with a virtual information feed. Over the past few years, the number of Sri Lanka’s internet subscribers or those who have access to the web has increased significantly, though the local internet penetration has not been in line with that of the world. The statistics published by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRC) estimates local internet user share at a lowly 4%. While it is true that Sri Lankan news paper houses run their internet on line versions, they are of a limited use. Often, the internet edition is a below par effort, which often engages junior journalist staff. Thus, the web editions of Sri Lanka’s news papers remain sketchy and also in contrast to the common global trend are not updated regularly.