I was socialized by print media, were you?

In my youth, I can remember clearly vying to be the first one to run outside and get the newspaper to present to my Mom.  She started her day very early because she had to be at work by 7 a.m.  Before leaving however, she would read the newspaper over a cup of coffee.  I didn't know what she was reading but I listened intently for the various sounds of agreement, disagreement and even laughter that would come from this morning ritual.  I would wait patiently until she left for work to retrieve the paper and look to see what had been so interesting.  Although I did not understand much of what I read, I learned at an early age that this was the way to start your day  I had to make sure to fold the paper just as she left it, because on her return from work, she would read the paper more thoroughly and be very upset if a section was missing or out of place.  I guess it was then that I decided that this paper held a lot of power and understanding and I wanted desperately to understand.  

By the time I was a teenager, my Mom was by now so busy with life, work and raising three kids on her own, she barely had the energy to read the newspaper so she viewed the news on the television over that cup of coffee.  But the paper still came religiously and I still read it.  I understood more and now I was the one making sounds of agreement, disagreement and laughter and would often engage her in conversation about the things I read.  Now I know that I was socialized to believe that the paper was a great source of information on various topics and I had the upper hand in many conversations because I had been privy to this medium which held a wealth of information.  That is no longer the case for my generation and the ones that have and will follow.  

It is my belief that most people of this generation and younger generations do not read newspapers or magazines because they have not had the example that I had as a youth.  Their parents and role models accessed information via the television.  They now access their information via the world wide web.  And while I believe that some information is better than no information at all, I truly believe that these short snippets of news are not as informative as a newspaper or magazine article.  If you really want to know all background, the major players, the consequences, the solutions, e.t.c. of a particular event, read the newspaper or magazine article.  To truly get the five W's (Who, What, When, Where and Why) read the paper.  I have been socialized to do so, have you?