Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.03.2019, Qupperneq 16

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16 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • March 1 2019
One cold morning when
I was waitressing at
the diner, a little girl
came up to the counter at the
entrance and asked me what
was hanging on the wall. I
followed her little finger to the
large payphone hanging near
the washrooms. I laughed. “It’s
a payphone,” I said. She turned
to me and asked with curiosity,
“What does it do?”
I realized, after
understanding this wasn’t some
joke, that this little girl had
never seen a payphone before.
I was quite shocked. I
couldn’t stop thinking about
it, which snowballed and
snowballed into more questions
and, finally, my brain stumbled
onto newspapers and the
growing newspaper epidemics.
Most importantly, the causes.
The newspaper industry is
exponentially plummeting due
to the continually expanding
media and all the platforms
it offers. It’s infectious and,
because we are in such a fast-
paced society with a constant
“go, go, go” mindset, we
don’t have time for leisurely
newspapers. When we have
five extra minutes in our day,
we open our phones, the most
convenient and easy way to
find world news. Because
our five minutes of time are
so precious and limited, all
these news resources fight
for your attention; they fight
for those five minutes of your
precious time. They flash all
these headlines in our faces,
competing to desperately grab
hold of our attention. Our
browsers are constructed with
flashy articles whenever we
open a new tab; social media
apps contain pop culture
updates and devastating
tragedies from all over the
world, refreshing as we scroll.
Whenever we open our phones,
a display of the latest news
flips through multiple articles
until we click a link that
interests us. We don't have to
go very far looking for news;
it’s shoved down our throats
everyday. Thus, we receive our
daily doses of news just from
these sources and move on with
our day.
So much for the local
newspapers.
Now, what does this
little ramble have to do with
payphones in diners? After
thinking about the newspaper
companies, it led me into a
tangle of much deeper thoughts
about technology’s influence.
Our new generation, which
includes me, are becoming
so distant with the simple
technologies that we are
losing touch with things that
hold much more value. As
a waitress, I experience all
kinds of people, but it breaks
my heart most to see two or
more people eating together,
but not speaking. Instead, they
all have their noses tucked
behind their cellphones, too
absorbed in the digital world
to be present. Now, I'm not
trying to degrade technology.
It’s a marvelous tool that has
led to major breakthroughs
and helps us significantly in
our day-to-day lives. But it has
its place in our society. With
these “old” ways dying, we are
entering a time where value is
being misplaced, where people
are being traded for screens
and machines. Technology
shouldn’t be replacing crucial
socialization or basic values.
It belongs in our pockets when
we are out on a date or catching
up with old friends. It should
not be replacing simple skills
such as writing on paper or
with typing. Technology should
not be replacing the value of
holding a book in our hands,
much less a newspaper.
Emily Roberts is a
university student and waitress
in Manitoba’s capital.
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NEWSPAPERS AND THE NEW GENERATIONS
Emily Roberts
Winnipeg, MB