In the post Civil War era, the newspaper and periodical industry exploded. Just fourteen years after the war, the number of magazines in America more than tripled, from the 700 published during the war to 2,400 and then jumped again to 3,500 by 1900. Newspapers also went from 400 daily papers during the war to 850 by 1880 and 1,400 by 1900. Magazines and newspapers devoted much of their space to poetry and prose fiction which was a key factor in their rapid growth. And with the development of new printing technologies, magazines and papers could have colorful, lavish covers and illustrations at relatively low costs which meant that the average person could still read them. This resulted in an estimated readership of 65 million people by the turn of the century.
This growth of the periodical industry is the opposite of what is happening today. In the the modern era, newspapers and periodicals are rapidly losing business, at least in the paper version. Among the many benefits of the internet is the easy access to news. Everything that one would find in a newspaper or magazine can now be found online much faster. Online news can also be updated constantly, which allows us to know about events moments after they happen. Why would people buy or subscribe to periodicals if they can get the same information of for free at the touch of a button? People can even get this information on their mobile phone, wherever they are. The newspaper has had its time but it is quickly coming to an end.
No comments:
Post a Comment