By Elizabeth T. Piper

But it’s so much more than a newspaper. It’s the idea of it, really. You awake in the morning, slip your sock-covered feet into two fluffy slippers, stretch both hands over your head and yawn. You muster up the motivation to pick yourself up out of bed, make your way to the teakettle in the kitchen, slip a tea bag in and light a match on the stove. You grab a delectable croissant from the bread tin on the counter, begin devouring it on your way to open the front door, and finally lay your eyes on the newspaper. Isn’t it pretty? Headlines are printed in bold black writing; the news is waiting to be sucked into your ten-pound brain. There is only one problem: you’re in the wrong century.Clay Shriky discusses the dying art of newspapers and the rise of the Internet in “Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable.” While reading newspapers was the only way to really obtain news in previous centuries, times are changing, and there is no other choice then to change with them. The key to success in journalism in the 21^st century is simple; get it out faster and cheaper.

Shirky writes, “If you want to know why newspapers are in such trouble, the most salient fact is this: Printing presses are terrifically expensive to set up and to run.” With the expense of printing in the 21^st century and the timeliness of getting news out, the Internet answers many problems that print news simply cannot.

Overall, the Internet seemed unthinkable years ago. However, just as newspapers were thought to be revolutionary at one point, Internet now is too. The Internet offers different types of journalism ranging from blogs to news articles to news videos and beyond. With a click of a button, one can absorb news instantly and be on their way.

There are some downsides to the Internet. One, for example, is the growing challenge of breaking through the clutter online. With endless types of news writings and countless advertisements, it can be difficult to differentiate between real news and meaningless garbage. However, the power is in the people’s hands and they must take the reigns on deciding themselves what is important and what is not.