After more than a century of service to their cities, The Bristol Press and the Herald of New Britain will cease to exist by January, unless the Journal Register Company can find a buyer for them.
And an entire generation won’t care. They were born digital.
They don’t know from newspapers, and television (gasp!) isn’t their first choice for news and information, either. Born after 1980, they are of the internet.
They are also the subject of research compiled by two academics in a book called, “Born Digital.”
The book’s web site says: “…soon our world will be reshaped in their image.” If that time isn’t now, it may be tomorrow or the next day. It’s coming at us that fast. Hey, they just helped elect their first president.
The “born digital” take for granted what I still hold in awe. I am still amazed my entire record collection is now on a device the size of a credit card. That I can take pictures and see them immediately. That I can find out in seconds what Frank Malzone’s batting average was in 1959. That I can communicate with you like this.
Of course, today’s toys for the “born digital” will turn into their 8-track players, rotary phones, Polaroid Land cameras, and transistor radios.
I hope I’m around to see what’s next.
Maybe it’ll be newspapers and television news.
The period of time we’re coming out of was called “the information age.”
The born-digital crowd does a lot of communicating – but there seems to be less information.
I have to admit the digital stuff is a lot of fun; I’m addicted to my blackberry.
On the other hand, my transistor radio still works just fine, thank you.
-Mike
And so do we.
They don’t call it “crackberry” for nothin’.