Time Flies
Perhaps the internet is not the cause of the decline of print journalism, but merely a symptom. Spurred on by cell phones and instant information gratification, we have no more time to sit down and read the New York Times Sunday edition cover-to-cover.
The staccato flow of info provided by the internet is a mirror to the quick and cursory way we attack our lives. Wait until 8 p.m. for the news hour? No way, I’m turning on CNN to find out what’s happening NOW. Wait for tomorrow’s edition of the paper? But that means waking up early to sit and read already “outdated” news. Besides, I was up until 1 a.m. yesterday reading blog commentaries; and I can listen to the radio on the way to work; and then the internet is right there at my desk when there’s a lull; and… . See how quickly it starts getting away from us? No more time for personal reflection – I need instant news now – no depth please; no time.
I know this only because I live it. I now rely on the internet for all my news. I still buy the Sunday paper with good intentions; but when I sit down to read it, my e-mail chimes with a fresh message. Or some article on page three reminds me of that funny website I wanted to check out. Or the advertisement on the back page reminds me I need to pay my credit card bill online. Or… .
So I gently toss the paper next to my bed with most of its articles unread. There it lies, staring at me with eyes I feel burrow into my head as I secretly tap on my keyboard only six feet away. Not until Thursday do I have the heart to put it out of its misery and gently place its yellowing hulk in the recycling bin out back.
I still love you, print, and I hate to see you die slowly of neglect. I just don’t feel I have time anymore. I know you were always there for me with good, insightful commentary. I appreciated the way you arrived without fail every morning before I woke up. I loved the feel and smell of ink on my hands as we sat together in the breakfast room on a restful, sunny morning.
Sure, we had some good times, but I’ve found someone new, someone who keeps pace with my frenetic lifestyle. I don’t have the urge or energy to sit around for an hour digesting information. Something is always calling me, requiring my immediate attention. The internet just fits in so well with my new ways. She never complains when I pop on for only a few seconds; she’s always there with fresh and exciting content. No, it’s not the most wholesome thing in the world, but I’m never bored and always stimulated.
The quiet ways are gone; I just don’t have time.
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Tags: internet, media, newspapers, social critique