The Internet and the law of diminishing utilities

I would like to pick up on the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility and put it in context to the world of internet news and newspapers.

While I was in India, I read the newspaper and had breakfast – maybe it was a tradition in my household. But that is what you did in the morning – sipped hot coffee and read a crisp and neatly folded newspaper first thing in the morning. But I have to admit that this was at a time when I did not use the Internet at home apart from checking mail and other sundry networking reasons including Linkedin and Facebook. In the first semester I was here, I subscribed to the Austin American Statesman and the New York Times. But somewhere along the line, I forget when, I didn't see the need to read the newspaper - considering I was perpetually online and had news updates popping up from the various feeds. And I doubt I will subscribe to newspapers henceforth. But like they say, old habits die hard, so might pick up a newspaper once in a while.

I also have to agree with Nan that news consumption is built as a habit, where people have several news sources that they usually get their news from. But in the free-for-all circus that is the Internet, how does diminishing marginal utility hold good in terms of newspapers? People have more sources of news online from blogs to news websites. So why would they subscribe to newspapers?