During my graduation I formed a habit of reading the Times of India. I used to come back from college and read all the cartoons and solve Sudoku before dinner. After dinner I used to read the part of TOI that contained news and think I was improving my knowledge of current affairs. Although till date I have never got a chance to demonstrate my knowledge of current affairs, I still read the Times of India. The only thing that has changed is that I now read TOI on my office computer.
I have stopped reading the newspaper ever since I got a job. I still subscribe to TOI only to find it at my door every morning and depositing it in the heap of raddi after I come back from office because there is no need for me to read newspaper anymore. When I come home, I have already read news from google news, laughed at cartoon thanks to my subscription to cartoon websites that deliver cartoons in my inbox and don’t have any interest or energy to solve Sudoku.
When I was studying TOI was my primary source of news and today it is google news. Many people say and few believe that the newspaper industry is dying. The newspaper companies are either setting websites that offer plethora of useless content (you don’t believe me, please visit TOI’s homepage) or becoming bankrupt.
The biggest difference between yesterday and today is the way I get news. Yesterday I used to read newspaper and wait for one whole day to get the update. Today I read google news and get updates as events take place. Today I not only read stories from TOI but also New York Times and don’t ever pay a single buck for it.
I think the web has made the world smaller and more competitive. The web is ensuring that only the fittest survive when people have access to the best news sources. It is a bad news for newspapers because now to know what is happening on the oil spill I am no more dependent on TOI or Dainik Bhaskar.
However, although I don’t read TOI’s print edition anymore I still subscribe to it. Every month the newspaperwala collects Rs 120 from me and after paying the subscription I say what’s the point in buying newspaper when you are not reading it. I guess old habits die hard even if they are useless.
To sum up
Save paper, read news online. Good slogan but will not work because I still cannot read news using my laptop while sitting on the toilet seat.
I somehow still continue to read newspaper and not epaper. I dont watch newschannels for updates and ya epaper not enthuse me also. TOI is as good as it gets for raddiwala. I use to read Hindu,Tribune,DNA but HT has been my constant read.
ReplyDeleteYes...It happens with me too. I too get TOI but hardly read it.It seems now a days we all are reading online news.Hey! Loved reading it :)
ReplyDeleteok, i read this in the toilet on my mobile, somtimes i read TOI in there too
ReplyDelete