Apparently the internet is better then newspapers.

Young people’s engagement with new media has evolved over the years from simply reading newspapers, watching television, to embracing internet, mobile phones and other sources of virtual media. Since the introduction of web 1.0 and now 2.0 news and information can be received in a variety of way, resulting in a steady decrease in newspaper sale as more and more receive their news at the click or a mouse.

So why do we use the internet to collect our daily need of the news rather then picking up the local paper or watching television or listen to the radio whilst driving to work?

In fact while many consumers of virtual cultures may do both, generation C have grown to become produsers of virtual cultures and both consume and contribute to virtual media (Burns, 2007).
To add to this new form of collecting news ‘for free’ internet users are now about to interact by commenting and responding to news articles forming a two-way or more online social relationship.

An example of this was seen on May 6, 2008 at: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,23652766-5016681,00.html
Where The Courier Mail published an article on Police charge for Big Brother star Corey Worthington’s ‘party kid’ mum.
With so many users wanting their say on the issue that surrounded this article, whether they agreed or disagreed the commenting page available became exhausted after 86 comments had been made by the afternoon of May 6.

This ‘being seen’ supports my view the internet and the drive for social interaction on the net is used by thousands. However the underlying purpose for internet use varies depending on the persons experience and attitude.

This leads to the discussion where the question can be raised; Does the internet provide multiple voices and points of view to the consumer?

So many great things have been said about the internet relating to its ability to provide open source journalism, especially with its ability for free speech and open point of views philosophy. However with the *‘gate keepers’ like large companies such as Google, Yahoo and Microsoft trying there best to ATTEMPT to gate keep views and opinions on certain subjects, things do not look promising for the internets ability to provide uninhabited open points of views.

I’m not saying flat out the internet can not provide a variety of points of views as it certainly can with virtually anyone in the public sphere being able to post and voice their opinions online. I just think we need to be aware there are major companies on the internet trying to attempt the same gate keeping practices that occur in mainstream media. Now although they can not stop people posting opposing views on the internet they can guide and direct you around these using search engines so they are harder to find.
With the publics growing lack of patience expecting everything to be available on-line with a single click of a button, those harder to find views just may never be found.

References:
A. Bruns. A. 2008. Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life and Beyond, In From Production to Produsage. http://produsage.org/files/Produsage%20-%20Introduction.pdf (accessed April 8, 2008).

News.com.au. 2008. Police charge for Big Brother star Corey Worthington’s ‘party kid’ mum. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,23652766-5016681,00.html (accessed May 7, 2008).