by Hallie Rybka

I remember the 90’s as a decade of change. My height, interests, toys and education were changing as drastically as technology was. Cell phones became a part of the family, and I spent increasing amounts of hours online. Apparently, newspapers had big changes and big ideas in the 90’s, too. A “digital facelift,” says Clay Shirky, was the consensus on how to deal with the introduction of Internet to the printed world of newspapers.

This article makes me feel bad for the changing world of print media. I adore waking up late on weekends, sunlight streaming through my window, and hearing the noise of my dad flipping the pages of the newspaper downstairs. I like the funnies. I like reading the news in the paper simply because it is in the newspaper and it gives me something to do; I don’t care to take the time and search for that same news online.

I found it interesting that Shirky related the newspaper predicament to other major changes in history, including Martin Luther and the schism in the Church and Gutenberg’s printing press. In studying history, we always learn of the great advances made from the printing press, how books became cheaper and literacy spread. But what about the chaos that existed for those few moments of change—the adjustments, loss of jobs, and new jobs? Shirky attempts to prove that there will not be a smooth shift of power between newspapers and the Internet, and publishers are having a hard time coming to terms. We cannot be sure of any quick solution, but this is a time for experimenting. I suppose Shirky is calling those tech-savvy entrepreneurs to step forward.