Why have newspaper sales declined?

The newspaper industry is rapidly declining due to the fast-rising interest in other forms of media such as social media, film, and television. Even though there has been a decline in print news circulation, the rise in online technologies and accessibility has enabled newspapers to expand their publishing platforms; this is widely seen with online newspaper websites and apps that you can download to get the latest updates in news. By having this easy access, it allows for a wider and larger audience to look at the news, meaning even though most people aren't buying paper copies, the companies aren't losing lot's of money, especially the companies who ask the viewers to subscribe and sponsor them such as The Guardian and The Times. This social platform is vital in keeping the news alive as newspapers are dying out quickly and soon won't be around.

Citizen journalism, participatory media, relationships with audiences have changed as more of the younger generation are interested in celebrity gossip, extremist groups, and other things. As a result of this, more and more broadsheets and tabloids are writing to appeal to the younger generation as they are the future of the world so by for them it means newspapers are less likely to go out of style, or completely extinct. Whereas if the broadsheets and tabloids wrote mainly for the older generation, the news would die out extremely fast as the younger generation wouldn't be interested. However, there are newspapers that appeal to the older generation such as the Daily Mail who's main target audience is 35+ as it mainly supports Brexit, British institutions, environmental campaigns, and humanitarians, most of which don't interest the younger generation. As tabloids become more popular, the target audience seems to be changing to mainly suit C1, C2, and D.

Using the internet as your newspaper source is positive. This is because by having this accessibility, it gives the reader a chance to comment their opinion on the subject matter and they can also share the news to other people so that it becomes a global matter, not just one located within a small community. It is more practical for people and can provide live updates when need be. Most of the online newspapers are free with a few having a small paywall such as the Daily Telegraph and The Times. However, with positives come negatives, some negatives of using the internet for your newspaper is that you need the internet connection in order to access the live updates, add comments and share. From using the internet, you can get long-term eyestrain and it is also harder for the older generation to access the news making it harder for them to find out what's going on in the world.

Most recent studies suggest that The Daily Mail had an overall decrease of 55% of printed papers during the start of the 21st century from the 1960s. Since then, online newspapers were first published and have clearly been shown through recent years to be enjoyed and used worldwide. This is evident by looking at online surveys and the data taken from them for example, since 2000 55% of the public has said that they prefer to read the news online or on the app.