Until relatively recently, newspapers were our primary source of daily news. They must now compete, however, with online news, social media and television in a progressively digital age. The internet is changing the way people get their news, leaving a dwindling audience willing to pay for their daily paper. But given that the form first emerged in early-17th century Europe, it"s probably about time the medium got overhauled. Newspapers have witnessed an extraordinary era of change: from the evolution of democratic institutions and political parties to the reshaping of whole countries and continents.

By the end of the 19th century, newspapers were using a visual template not unlike those of today, and had become the source of not only large profits but also unaccountable political and social influence for their owners – a trend that has continued to the present day. Newspapers prospered in this form for more than 150 years, and in many countries, daily life would have been inconceivable without access to one. But in many places, the continuing existence of newspapers is under threat.

Circulation figures for all types of newspapers, local, regional and national, bear out the fact that, in many Western nations at least, sales of printed newspapers had been falling for many years prior to the emergence of the internet. What is also beyond question, though, is that the arrival and exponential growth of the World Wide Web, leading to near-universal coverage, has accelerated this process greatly. Observing the rapidity and extent of this process around the world provides a fascinating insight into social change.

We now live in an age where speed and convenience have gained precedence over reliability and quality in most aspects of our existence. Regarding the former, newspapers only allow getting updated about events some considerable time after they have actually happened, while online users can access them more or less at the moment at which they occur. Printed newspapers, therefore, provide a less efficient source of news and, furthermore, do so in a less environmentally-friendly way than the internet, and at a direct cost to the consumer. Moreover, with news also available on tap through social media, consumers are continually bombarded from all sides, and therefore may not wish to have each story explained in great detail, as is the case in much of the printed media. Social media sites have also proven to be one of the most effective means of getting information out rapidly, and on a huge scale: news can now be tweeted before the mainstream media have even started their coverage.

(Adapted from Exam Booster Advanced by Carole Allsop, Mark Little and Anne Robinson)