Policy- What has this generation come to?! News deserts and cord cutting?

Over the past few years, our world has changed drastically.

People have started to steer away from print and have gone digital. People have also turned away from paying for cable and have pursued cheaper monthly subscriptions.

This being said, two major key policy terms have become prominent to newer generations- news deserts and cord cutting.

News deserts is a term used to describe a community or town that is no longer covered by daily newspapers. This affects many as newspapers are one of the major sources of reliable news locally, statewide, and nationally. This term emerged when hundreds of daily newspapers were closing in certain cities.

News deserts may affect the community in which people must rely on the internet instead to look for important news, moreover, it can affect people who don't even have internet access. People who want to read about more local news are out of luck. They are left with no daily news outlet. In addition, kids who live in these towns may not get to experience the impact of newspapers.

The benefits are using fewer paper products and taking advantage of Google. The cons are missing local news, having to purchase wifi for internet access, and not finding the news you're interested in.

Next, cord cutting is similar in the way it "cuts" how people used to watch TV to moving people in the direction of what's more popular now, which is purchasing monthly subscriptions to television networks online. Whether it's on your smart TV or laptop, there's a variety of companies that give you the option to pay a fixed monthly fee. Some of these companies include Netflix, Hulu, and Youtube TV.





The benefits of canceling or "cord cutting" your cable is lower costs, no contract, lower equipment costs, and you receive an a la carte channel selection. You can also watch what you want when you want without any interruptions. The downfalls are most likely you still need to pay some sort of fee, you may still need cable or satellite, could cause streaming limits, and not all companies offer the same channels.

All in all, there are pros and cons to both news deserts and cord cutting. These policy changes have affected many, regardless if your old, young, black, white, gay, or straight. These terms have given generations a different perspective on life, due to the fact that print newspapers and TV cable are slowly disappearing.

Here is a guide on how to ditch TV cable and stream happily ever after.