Is the pen mightier than the cursor?

Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg. He was the man who made mass printing possible during 1450s. From his ingenuity, the 42-line Bible, also known as the Guttenberg Bible was published. From this technology of movable metal pieces, printing press began. Since then, the wisdom of many people has been massively communicated through the means of books and other published materials.

Almost a millennium after the first innovation in mass printing, more and more books, newspapers and other published materials are still in circulation. More and more people have been acquiring information through these references, especially the newspaper.

Locally, newpapers have been very instrumental in producing and distributing information to the readers. There’s this saying that goes, “the pen is mightier than the sword.” True enough, the articles being published in newspapers here in the Philippines have been really powerful especially in changing the government.

However, another change has occurred in the course of spreading knowledge. As the new age of information comes, more and more people started using the Internet. Through this ‘new media,’ things have been easier and faster when it comes to information dissemination. At one click in your screen, the world’s knowledge is literally at the tip of your finger.

For this reason, many people opt to rely on the things they find on the Internet rather than actually acquiring them from newspapers. This causes lesser dependence on the older medium.

Now, there’s this question of whether print media is already dead or still in the brink of survival. Too much popularity of the Internet has casted shadow on what used to be a very powerful medium. But is this really what’s happening?

For me, it is not. I can say that I am not biased about this assumption because I have been fairly exposed to both media. I experienced the time when our school would still require us to browse the pages of periodicals rather than google for information. I also know how convenient it is to use the Internet for references.

However, if I would compare the two based on my experience and observation on other people, I would still say that print media hasn’t lost its prestige and credibility. For one, despite the boom of Internet cafes here and there, we cannot deny that newspapers are still more accessible and ‘reader-friendly’ than the Internet. More people can acquire knowledge as long as he/she can read. No need for more some computer skills.

Another would be because of the credibility of the authors in print media. If in the Internet, almost anyone can write and publish works online, newspapers are much stricter. It takes someone to be professional in the field to attain the privilege of the handling ‘the pen.’ Absence of laws in publication also supports this matter. More people still believe that printed materials are more reliable.

However, I cannot deny the fact that print media is really at risk at the moment. Given the fast evolution of the so-called Internet society, some adjustments are necessary to cope with the changing times. Print media is more on evolving rather than dying. We cannot be doing what we are doing now if not for the fundamental knowledge we acquired through traditional dissemination of information. Thus, newspapers will always be there because they represent our roots, which we can never let go of.