With the advent of social media, more people are getting their news online instead of from print media. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for people who read news online.

When the topic of reading news comes into view, there exists a controversy. Majority people assert that viewing them online is beneficial, whereas opponents of

this

idea prefer to use newspapers to keep themselves updated with the current affairs. In

this

essay, I shall draw upon the explanations that reveal the positive and negative aspects of reading news on the Internet.

To begin

with, major technological advancements in recent times has transformed the way news is reaching the audience. There are several benefits of

this

phenomenal change, and one of them is the freedom to access a wide variety of information like headlines, reports and analysis of many contemporary issues around the world.

On the Contrary

, print media primarily reports facts pertaining to a specific country or region which is relevant to their target audience.

For instance

, the popular New York Times tabloid majorly publish articles on the happenings in Silicon Valley and ignore other prominent business news which is available on an electronic medium. Another notable advantage of reading news on digital platforms is it is inexpensive compared to newspapers. A physical copy subscription would cost us Rs. 400 per month, whereas viewing news online is free of charge. Overall, it is cost-saving and more informative to read news online.

On the other hand

, digital news has its own shortcomings. Lack of focus on regional issues is a huge drawback of the news articles available online. In order to entice a wide range of audiences, media companies report generic issues at a country or state level and tend to ignore the local happenings.

For example

, The Times of India electronic edition includes only the prominent information across the country. Unlike the print version, regional stories are not covered in the e-copy.

In addition

, a lot of advertisement pop-ups distract the reader and create inconvenience to the reading experience. Profitable, ads are the primary source of revenue for the broadcasting companies, and they cannot afford to compromise on them. In short, there are few drawbacks for the people who read news online. In conclusion, reading newspapers online can be advantageous if it allows readers to access the information at free of cost.

However

, they should

also

be cautious to avoid any distractions due to promotions.