It is arguable, in fact, that the medium which faces the biggest immediate threat from the Internet is direct mail because the Internet is highly interactive and its advertising is more akin to direct mail than any other existing medium. But no newly-introduced news medium has ever killed an old one, and if best guesses are to be made then it is likely that this will be the case with this new medium as well. Furthermore, newspapers have some big advantages when considering the development and growth of the Internet. To put it simply, the consumer section of the Internet will be all about content. People will continue to visit and use web sites in the future which deliver strong and interesting content which is relevant to the viewer.
Newspapers are in a strong position when it comes to content.
Newspapers traditionally have more local news and information than any other medium and newspapers overseas and in New Zealand will almost certainly leverage that advantage in this new medium as well. But that doesn't mean that newspapers themselves will die. Newspapers are still key players and will remain so in their local community when it comes to local news and information and classified and retail advertising. Essentially, the Internet is a global network of computers connected by telephone lines, cable and satellite links. Now for the interesting part.