Apple News? Online and offline habits in 2015
Photo: Johan Larsson (CC)
With the latest iOS software, Apple foisted yet another undeletable app on us, Apple News.
Naturally, I set up my blogs to be available in the new service, which costs nothing to publish or to use. Open these links from your iOS device:
But am I actually using Apple News? Not really. It’s no better or worse than Flipboard, Zite or the RSS readers I used to replace Google Reader. I’m simply not using them as much as opening Facebook or Twitter.
And plenty of people are content with no news. Studies have shown that each new generation has about the same ratio of news consumers to news ignorers. Technology has disrupted many an industry, but news consumption habits remain remarkably steady.
News I care about: local and state, technology, communication, entertainment, social justice, food, friends and peers. News I don’t care about: sports (though I still keep an eye on college football), business, international, national, politics, crime and on and on. However, I still try to read a variety of topics and perspectives to understand the world more deeply.
I still visit news sites (almost all local to Birmingham) regularly, as well as skim news from my carefully cultivated groups on Facebook and Twitter. As both a recovering journalist and a recovering news junkie, this is sufficient for my needs.
I don’t typically see TV news (though I do see their social media updates) or hear radio news. I don’t pick up printed newspapers or magazines (again, I see much of their work on their sites or on their social media channels).
I’ll skim headlines in daily or weekly email updates. I probably get one or two notifications on my phone (usually app alerts instead of texts) on breaking news.
I know plenty of people who default to Facebook or Twitter for their news. It might be shares from forgotten classmates or rumors from their own drunk uncles or funny cat videos, but it’s news.
While Apple may want to try and squeeze some ad revenue out of its latest attempt at a news app, it doesn’t look promising. Especially when everyone can be fickle about their news consumption, while also playing reporter, videographer, gossip columnist, thought leader and critic.
Where are you getting your news these days? Sound off in the comments.
Birmingham Blogging Academy 
I miss Google Reader so much! The closest thing I’ve found to replace it is Bloglovin’ and I still don’t keep up with blogs as much as I did with Google Reader. #bringbackgooglereader
It was painful to even write about Google Reader. sigh.
Thanks for your comment, Taren!
I never used Google Reader, but I’ve heard many lament the loss. I should use some aggregator vs my haphazard approach of randomly checking Google News.
It was a mighty app. RIP Google Reader.