Last week saw the announcement that The Independent, a national paper whose history spans over 30 years, is ceasing to exist.
With such a prestigious newspaper not being able to withstand the test of the digital era, does this bode well for the future of print journalism?
I noticed my favourite magazines becoming more and more expensive.
Then I noticed them getting thinner and less frequent.
Fast forward to 2016 and I struggle to find many people who still enjoy spending £5.99 on their favourite publications when they can find the bulk of what is included online.
The same goes for newspapers.
With the Underground now broadening their Wi-fi access people are less inclined to pick up their usual daily paper with the WHSmith meal deal in the morning, favouring the easier alternative to check their phone for the latest updates.
The likelihood of newspapers being a dying source of information is increasing every day and the idea terrifies me.
We spend enough time gawking at our phones without getting our news fixes solely from the World Wide Web too.
Jobs are being lost and soon many perfectly capable and extensively intelligent people will be worrying that their jobs are on the line because they are not trained in what is becoming the audience’s main source of information.
While I don’t think the end of print is on the immediate horizon, it is something that is becoming inevitable. Babies are born to play on iPads and gain their knowledge from electronics and it is an obvious progression for a world brought up in a progressive era.
I hope that newspapers don’t die out. I hope magazines continue to be printed and yes, I will continue to spend £12.00 on the magazines I crave each month.
The idea that future generations may miss out on the joy of turning the pages of their chosen publications really upsets me.
Newspapers sit on a nostalgic pedestal for me.
I learnt to read not just from library books but the magazines and newspapers left lying around my house.
Call me old fashioned but reading an article on a website will never be the same as seeing the words jump from the Sunday newspapers as I discover the depressing trials and tribulations of Worldwide disasters.
I hope to be seeing newspapers and magazines adorning our shelves for years to come and while I am addicted to the Internet just like every other twenty-something, I am praying it doesn’t take over print journalism.