Question: Will you mourn the death of print newspapers?Ricky Gervais: No. When’s that going to happen? I don’t think hard copies will ever be replaced, will they? I mean, I could see what you mean, because the environment or because computers; everyone will soon be online.
You’re talking about the future, aren’t you? I love this sort of trying to predict the future. I love watching ’50s movies, of what it’ll be like in 1994. Everyone’s in silver suits or with grey hair, and in the year 2000, you won’t have to walk to work, the pavements will move. Dinner will be a small pill. Yeah, hover boards.
Nothing’s changed. The only thing has changed is the colors.
Let’s say, you can go back, it’s like; people walk in colors, that’s it. There’s no one flow in. There’s no heads in jars. You know, it’s nothing. Nothing really changes, does it? You could bring a caveman back. You could shave him. He could go to work. We don’t really change. We don’t really change. I don’t change, except I’m off the horse now. Yay, he’s off the horse.
Recorded on: Feb 25, 2009.
Discuss
tim hall on April 19, 2009, 7:00 PM
In the U. S. the daily news papers are dropping like flies. They will soon be going back to a weekly paper. Most of our daily papers have been losing quality since 1980. Electronic information is designed to scan through. However, there are some quality articals on-line. The problem is that the percentage of people who will read a lengthy text online is far less than in print. So you end up with a lot of low quality sound bytes. I design for print and electronic media. For folks that grew up reading papers and magazines, they understand the value of being able to touch and feel what they are reading and the ability to take it anywhere and throw it around. When I talk to the youger generations, they say paper is useless. The owners of the newspapers say that they do not have a choice. They have to go where their clients want them to advertise. Right now, online is where the money is. Will people get sick of online sound bytes? I doubt it. I think they will end up reading more quality journals on line. The other thing that I notice is that the younger generations have a shorter tension span. They are used to electronic games. When I design a magazine page for them, I have about 2 seconds to grab their attention before they turn the page. The other down side of on-line info is that you can pick and choose what you already believe, as apposed to a newspaper, you have to read what is provided. This may or may not lead to future social problems. It depends on how well the rate of intelligence keeps up with electronic communication technology.
catspajamas on April 20, 2009, 2:15 AM
I was initially a little concerned by this whole “death of print” thing, but honestly I don’t think it’ll happen during my lifetime.
I’m a tail-end boomer, and we love to read. And we hate reading on the computer. I mean its the same information, often word for word, that appears in the newspaper, but its just not the same. I see more people in the book stores and libraries lately than in some years. (Its a little annoying, frankly – they all end up standing in the same aisle as I’m in.) Most Saturdays I spend some time in a coffee shop, with all the Saturday regulars, and nobody’s using computers. They’re all reading the paper, and sometimes a book. There’s something great about the feel and smell of a newspaper, and a book – especially a new one – that you just can’t replace with the computer. Like Tim says – you can cart the paper around and read bits while you’re waiting for the bus, and show people parts, and tear out interesting bits for the fridge door.
I get the Toronto Globe and Mail delivered every Saturday and I look forward to it. I’m thinking about getting it weekdays as well.
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