Online newspapers a hit among teenagers Saturday, 31 July 2010 02:38

DOHA: An increasing number of teenagers, across the world, prefers to read newspapers online. In the countries where there is deep Internet penetration, offline newspaper sales are fast declining, said an expert.

Talking to ictQatar website, Jeff Cole, Director of the World Internet Project (pictured) said newspaper circulation is in free fall in countries such as the US. Some newspapers have lost 25 percent of its circulation in the last 12 months. In other countries where newspapers are stronger, such as Sweden, UK and Australia, newspapers are disappearing offline, but there are real opportunities on the web.

“Digital media is growing — in number and consumption rates. And with rapidly increasing Internet penetration worldwide, such consumption will only continue to grow”, he said.

“Teenagers are not interested in reading newspapers offline. Studies show that teens just don’t care about news, they just care about what’s happening on Twitter and Facebook,” Cole said.

Children and teens are “digital natives”, meaning they are not afraid of the technology and very comfortable with it. At least half of the five-year-old children in Sweden are online users.

Broadband has really changed everything. Before broadband, with dial-up, Internet was something people went to two or three times a day for 20-30 minutes. With broadband, the Internet is everywhere around you: in your desk, car, pocket and you can use it during the natural rhythms and pauses of the day — it’s not something you plan for. It certainly enhanced digital literacy.

When the Internet came along, we never anticipated that user generated content was going to transform everything - it reversed the media trends. It is both a wonderful and a worrisome development, he said. The Peninsula

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