Online
newspapers or printed ones, the debate is still continuing today over which
version Americans prefer. University of Maryland produces its own newspaper
called The Diamondback, which is available to students online or on paper. Even
though there is only ONE Diamondback, the audience views different features
online that aren’t accessible on paper.
A simple
difference is the date. The online version displays the date differently than
on paper by including the weekday. Another difference is that the headlines in the online version seem to
be more wordy and longer than the short, precise headlines in the printed
version. The font is also different, online there is a consistent large
bold font that accompanies every story. The printed version is not consistent
with their font; some headlines are bold, larger, or different colored.
Ads between the
online version and printed version vary to a great extent. Online the ads
appear at the top of the web page and on the right hand side, you will not see
the same ad more than once. The ads are colorful and constantly changing. The
printed version contains about 20 ads that are separated into different
categories such as a food and drink guide, services, apartments, automotive and
classified. The online version also has a photo galley that isn’t available in
the printed version.
Like a typical
printed newspaper, The Diamondback has its major stories on the front page for
the viewers to see. The online version has 2 more stories than the printed
version, however they both contain 13 identical stories. The stories contain
the same amount of words however the layout tricks readers into believing the
versions differ in length. The spacing of the online version allows the stories
to be on 1 page, while the printed version separates the stories between 2
pages.
Content is a
definitive similarity between both versions of The Diamondback even though they
differ in layout and form there is the same information. Each story is written
by the same author and has the same words and content online and on paper. The
paper version appeals more to the audience because holding a text in your own
hands and being able to view an entire page instead of having to scroll down an
article is much easier to the reader. Also before 1992 most studies revealed
people “read slower, less accurately and less comprehensively on screen than on
paper”.
A study done in
January of 2013, by Anne Mangen took 72 10th grade students, divided
in half, into two groups with the same piece of 1,500 word text, one group
receiving the text in PDF form online and the other on paper. After reading the
text students were given a test to see how much information they retained and
the results proved the students who read the text online didn’t retain as much
information than on paper.The feeling of
holding a text we read seems more appealing than we actually think.
Some readers
would disagree and say online is more appealing because of the new features and
search tools however looking at a computer screen can be mentally exhausting.
Online web pages make it harder for readers to remember what they read because our
brains can’t retain information that fast. Even though paper sources are being
outdated and people think they belong in the archaic time period, paper is much
more appealing to readers. The content is the same online and on paper however
good old paper and flipping the pages back and forth is a favorable option.
It is clear Brady did thorough research on the differences between the Diamondback online and in the printed version. There are a variety of differences between the versions of the newspapers which may appeal to different audiences. Brady discusses the date, length of headlines, font, advertisements, photos, the amount of stories presented, and spacing as differences between the online and printed version. She then makes the argument that printed news is more appealing to readers and reinforces her opinion with studies claiming that people retain more information through printed text rather than online text. However, I think readers would find it very interesting to not only find out whether paper newspapers or online newspapers are more or less effective, by WHY they create these reactions. An article from Slate about print versus online newspapers highlights the importance of all these formatting differences in obtaining the readers' attention. The psychology of the variations of headlines, how an advertisement is placed, and how a story flows on a website or on paper pages is very intriguing and would take the Brady's argument even one step further. Brady makes an excellent point regarding the difference between the two types of newspapers, but more elaboration on the reasoning behind such aesthetic decisions may have added to her point.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/press_box/2011/08/print_vs_online.html
The headline was explanatory and gave me information before I started reading the post. She made it clear that she was going to talk about how the Diamondback has a different appearance on paper and online, but that its content remains the same. The only thing I would add to this headline is a comma before the word “Whether” and after the word “Paper.” This would make it more grammatically correct.
ReplyDeleteHer topic related to the Chapter 3 reading because of her focus on a newspaper (the Diamondback) and how it is being used in both paper form and online. She lists the differences between the format of the online Diamondback and the paper version and contrasts the advertisements in each version. I like how she includes a picture of the online and paper versions of the Diamondback because it gave me a better idea of the differences that she was addressing.
I thought it was interesting that she found a study that said most people read slower and less accurately on paper. I find that I also take longer to read content online than on paper. The study by Anne Mangen that she discussed was also very interesting. The fact that people retain more information from reading text on paper makes me value my textbook readings more.
Other then a few grammatical errors, she did a great job organizing her ideas and providing interesting studies on her topic. If I could add to her post, I would include information on why some people prefer to read the newspaper online and others prefer to read it on paper. I think this would emphasize the differences between the two versions of the paper. I found a survey that interviews students on which form of newspaper they prefer, and the reasoning for each person’s preference was very interesting.
http://www.jeadigitalmedia.org/2013/01/20/what-do-students-prefer-reading-online-or-print-news-an-anecdotal-response/