Click on the image to see the detail of a Tweet sent early today by @jadeleanneNDUBZ to her 1,531 Twitter followers. In the image you will also see a text from her dad and her response to that text. Her dad sent her a text about Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez splitting. Her response about this being a headline in a newspaper is gold for those watching the impact of social media on old media news channels.
The text messages and tweet reminded me of why we are able to sell magazines with Bieber and One Direction featuring in them. They are purchased more as collector items and not as news as such.
It is not just this generation getting news from Twitter and other platforms. My own newspaper interaction has diminished significantly due to Twitter. It’s short-form publishing platform works well in a time-poor world. It’s instant publishing gives me access to news sooner.
Years ago, if we sold out of newspapers by lunchtime on a Saturday there were several means by which we could get replacement stock. We would pursue these because of the role newspapers played in the traditional retail newsagency business.
Today, we are out by noon 50% of the time and no longer chase replacement product because the supply model seen non newsagency outlets supplied to not sell out and because the newspaper is not as important as it used to be. When I told a shopper on the weekend that we were out of The Age they said – it’s old news anyway. Seriously, that’s what they said.
All of this is as it should be – the world evolving, embracing new technology. Our challenge as newsagents is to be retailers focused on the future, giving less attention to the past.