When was the last time you read a newspaper?
It might not surprise you, but we’re reading about 1/3 of the newspapers we did at our peak in the mid-70s.
Our population has grown by 1/3 in that amount of time.
So where are all the readers?
Let’s put it a different way – what do people actually need a newspaper for these days?
Not everyone has parrot cages to line.
Newspapers have rendered themselves irrelevant by detaching from their local community.
Right now, a handful of corporations own most of your favorite newspapers.
Sure, they have a few local reporters, but they pad an already-thin publication with Associated Press coverage and other national stories.
Local news stations do the same.
Back in the old days *ibuprofen rattling* newspapers were the social hub for the local area.
Just look at these dating ads from way back when:
Look at the way people used to talk about themselves before the days of Tinder.
“6’2” stout hearty” sounds like you’re describing a soup.
There has been no effective replacement of that kind of local banter.
The closest is Patch, where boomers get on and neighborhood watch their way through HOA meetings
We have an overwhelming way to find out information nowadays – to the point where we don’t know what’s even going on under our noses.
When you suspect there’s an earthquake, there’s no local message board or paper to check in the morning – you go on twitter helplessly trying to find out.
You’re unaware of what goes on in your neighborhood – and probably even your street.
Newspapers used to deliver a set amount of content you could consume in the morning or evening. No endless scrolling, no anxiety reading.
Maybe when newspapers rediscover their purpose, they’ll make a comeback.
Until then, we’re stuck with Taylor Lorenz.
