The Future of Printed Media
IELTS Writing Task 2
Response: It is sometimes argued that in the far future newspapers and books will disappear. Due to advancements in technology, news and books will be published online and with no need for payment, so they will be more accessible to people. While I agree that books and newspapers would be significantly affected in the future, I believe that there are individuals who will continue to buy paper books or newspapers, and even pay for them.
On the one hand, the effects of technological developments are undeniable, particularly on books and newspapers. First of all, with a considerable range of platforms in the world, there is competition between local and national press to attract their customers, so the newest news will be published quickly and will be available and free on many platforms, even on social media, like Instagram. In addition, as more people become aware of the detrimental effect of printing paper, which causes deforestation, they are less willing to buy these and prefer more e-books or read news online. Therefore, these traditional ways will lose their attraction.
On the other hand, despite the above arguments, I believe that some people are going to use paper-based news or books in the future. By increasing the speed of publishing news, there are potential disadvantages. Firstly, the quality of news will decrease; and secondly, the yellow press might publish false news to increase their income. As a result, individuals will buy news to ensure that the publisher does not make any mistakes for its profit. Moreover, there are a number of people who struggle with the physical conditions, medical problems or not being familiar with technology, so they will buy paper books or news. For example, the older generation or disabled people who are not being able to go out will have to buy books, or people who have eye problems would continue to use traditional methods.
In conclusion, in the wake of technology, paper books and newspaper may be forgotten, because in the future everything will be free and available. Although I agree that technology has a vital impact on books and newspapers, in my opinion in the future some people, such as the elderly, will still buy news or prefer to read paper books.