New media vs. old media

The most obvious difference between new media and old media is the physical appearance of the media people are reading, whether it is via newspaper or reading it online.  The difference between reading the newspaper physically or online is the accessibility for more information.  When you read the newspaper, you are limited to the information only to that one article, but when you read it online, you have access to unlimited information about that article as you can browse different newspapers to get more information.  The Internet is available to over 2.4 billion worldwide (http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm) and because of that more people are connected with their community as well as the global community.  Going on further from my statement above about how readers are only getting the information from that article; depending on the author, articles can be biased.  Reading biased articles can leave a lasting impression on readers, thus affecting a reader’s thinking and opinion, which correlates to being able to find more information online so people can know the full story.  Between the two mediums, I don’t think there’s a literacy difference, as the article that I read was word for word the same. 

I found that with newspapers, unless people got it delivered at their door, that it’s an item that is read else where that is not at home.  Either at work, on the bus or at a coffee shop, it seems that people read newspapers else where but in the comforts in their own home.  I think this is due to the availability newspapers, this is not including those who get their papers delivered to their front door, people have to go out and buy them either at the convenience store, grocery store or at a paper stand. And even when it’s in a common place where everyone will visit, it’s not a commodity that they would like to pay for.  When those who read it online, it’s vastly available, convenient and not to mention that it’s free.