If you are my age or older, there was a time you used the newspaper as a source of information. You saved clippings. Read the funnies. A weeks worth of unread papers had it’s own special place in your home. You may have even had a paper route as a teenager – I did.
If you don’t know what a paper route is, it was a job most teenagers could handle. You got paid for each paper you delivered. The more papers you delivered they more you earned. It was a direct income job. You managed subscriptions, collected payment and managed your supply chain. You owned a route, usually in your own neighborhood. The first paper route I had was a daily newspaper. 7 days a week, everyday of the year including all holidays and bad weather. The second route I had was the Observer, which was only published twice a week. And if you don’t know what a newspaper is you are young.
My 8 year old nephew was recently grounded from the TV and other electronic devices. He is very passionate about his sport scores, stats and updates. Not just who won the game but his is interested in the details. It was killing him not to know how the game when last night. So we purchased a newspaper and an ice cream cone and we read the paper together. This was the first time he had seen the sports section of a national daily printed newspaper. He was surprised to see the stats and scores laid out on this huge piece of paper in black and white. He didn’t’ really know what a newspaper was or what information was available. My nephew’s generation has not yet been named but it will be a generation without the printed press. He is growing up in a culture of always digital, on-demand and real-time.