Final answer:
The movement towards digital news consumption has led to a decline in traditional media use, impacting print news, television, and radio. The convenience of accessing news via smartphones and the option to select specific content have contributed to this shift. The resulting decrease in viewership of traditional news and political events highlights the change in the media consumption landscape.
Step-by-step explanation:
The shift to digital news consumption has had significant effects on traditional media platforms such as print news, television, and radio. As the Pew Research Center reports, with the rise of smartphone and tablet ownership, more Americans have turned to online sources to access news, leading to a decline in print media readership and changes in how people watch television and listen to radio. This digital shift has altered the landscape of media consumption, reducing the reliance on traditional forms of news and increasing the demand for internet-based services.
The transition to smartphones for news access has coincided with the invention of cable and the expansion of the Internet, allowing users to bypass commercials and choose content on-demand. Such convenience and flexibility have contributed to viewer fatigue towards conventional news and political programming, exemplified by the decreasing viewership of televised events like the president's State of the Union address. The inundation of information and the variety offered by digital platforms have diminished traditional media's audience and transformed how news is disseminated and consumed.