This week here at Her Campus Southampton, we’re talking to our wonderful editor in chief and founder, Leonidas Achilleos! Leon is a third year history student with a passion for writing who’s hoping to break into the competitive field of journalism after he graduates this summer. Over the last few years, online journalism has really boomed, giving student journos, bloggers, and, well, anyone really, the chance to have their say online. At the touch of a button, I can find out what J-Law was up to last night, the latest updates on world politics, and, disturbingly, about the sex life of a sixty year old… Facebook and twitter make it very easy for us to share our favourite articles and give our opinions on them, but does all this mean that there’s no place for a good old newspaper anymore? Are we confined to reading everything from a screen forevermore? Online editor Leon gives us his opinions on the matter.
HC: Hi, Leon! So, which section of Her Campus is your favourite? Do you love the blog, or have a secret passion for the Campus cutie page?
LA: The blog section of the magazine has an irregularity which I enjoy. Writing within strict confines often seems stifling to me and creates a precondition that writers have to adapt to. The blog section does not have these margins meaning writers have license to produce whatever they would like, making for a much more creative space.
HC: Meaning that we have more interesting and varied articles for our readers, right? So, other than Her Campus, which magazines do you regularly read?
LA: Absolutely! My favourite magazines are the ones with vague structures and unpredictable content. It’s a kind of post-internet fascination with forums I suppose, were content is unrestricted and uncensored. Not to mean that periodicals can’t have the same spontaneity; I have recently brought the first two issues of Apology magazine; a kind of general interest magazine for an audience with niche interests. Apology doesn’t cohere to the formative structure of your average off-licence magazine, lacking regular sections and contributors. It is a relative flux of varied topics and interests—it is educational and enlightening with an unbridled promiscuity to boot.
HC: So, you’re a big fan of online publications. But is there still a place for print publications, do you think?
LA: Of course, as long as they have the right intentions. Informative magazines have certainly noticed a decline in readership because information is so easily accessible on the internet. For me, printed publications serve a completely different purpose; they are traditional and tactile, much more personal. It is predominantly design which keeps me flicking back through my old issues of Alliterati, two page spreads, elaborate embossing and detailed framing.
HC: And is there anything about online journalism that you really don’t like?
LA: Certainly, mainly concerning brevity and accessibility of content. The web can reflect the fleeting interests of its audience. I don’t like having to appeal to broad sensibilities and competing with the nominal accessibility brought about by ‘top ten lists’, gifs and memes. I don’t enjoy writing in this format especially; sometimes it feels like I’m just writing the headlines, trying to shock my readers into giving my articles a second glance.
Saying that though, you can make a good article out of anything so long as you care about you’re topic enough. You just have to make sure the format serves you’re writing instead of the other way around. People that make sweeping statements about internet journalism destroying printed journalism are simply reading the wrong articles. There is nothing wrong with easily digestible information, so long as the information is of a good quality.
HC: But surely if online journalism appeals to its readers, it’s doing its job?
LA: Good traffic doesn’t always correlate with good quality. I’m a sucker for WatchMojo and Reddit like anyone else, but my fleeting interests and capacity for trivial knowledge are certainly not things to be proud of. There is little point of knowledge without application, and whilst watching ‘Top 10 Tupac Songs’ might fill the gap between Westbury and Warminster, these videos always seem kind of unsavoury. Wasting a day on YouTube is a bit like eating a ‘Bargain Bucket’ all to your-self; it might fill you up initially, but only leaves you picking breadcrumbs off your clothes and burping up gravy.
HC: Thanks for your time, Leon!
So, what do you think, readers? Is online journalism the way forward for everyone? Or do you think there’s still some comfort to be had in a traditional paper? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments below!