In a year when the woes of newspapers -- layoffs, consolidations, and outright closings -- are more extensive than in any period in memory, strong evidence of the changing nature of media use in America may be found in a single statistic: Internet users report a large increase in time reading online newspapers, according to the annual survey conducted by the Center for the Digital Future at USC's Annenberg School for Communication.
In questions about reading online and print newspapers -- key elements of the eighth annual comprehensive study of the impact of online technology on America -- the Digital Future Project found that Internet users read online newspapers for 53 minutes per week, the highest level thus far in the Digital Future studies.
In contrast, Internet users in 2007 reported 41 minutes per week reading online newspapers.
The Digital Future Project also found that 22% of users said they stopped their subscription to a printed newspaper or magazine because they could access the same content while online.