At the beginning of the century, the first stalls dedicated to selling newspapers emerged, at first light and precarious, usually consisting of a wooden table located in busy places (large avenues, market entrances, parks, squares, etc.). These first stalls soon evolve into slightly more elaborate fixed constructions, which allow both the publications and the seller themselves to be housed and protected from inclement weather. Next, the exhibitors appear that evolve from the simple table to shelves, supports, enclosures in the form of showcases, opening display doors, display boxes to advertising supports. All these elements contribute to the sale of the product, since if it is not “shown”, it does not exist for the buyer and therefore it is not sold.

But also, in a kiosk we can find technological systems that have been developed over time based on technical advances. The cash register, the facilities (light and telephone), the tobacco machine, the refrigerator and the ice cream freezer have been determining: on the one hand, the minimum space necessary for the interior of the kiosk; and on the other, the merchandise that can be stored and sold therein.

The awning, in addition to contributing to the thermal comfort of the seller, also provides shelter to buyers on rainy days or days of incessant sun, thus making it easier for them to purchase; and also acts as an attraction or icon of the kiosk for passers-by.

For some years now, in certain kiosks, computers have also begun to be implemented as an instrument to help in business management, in addition to a variety of electronic devices that perform specific tasks such as recharging mobile phones or transport passes.

In some countries, such as Venezuela, newsstands have evolved to the point that they sell not only newspapers, magazines, snacks and sweets, but also serve as lottery agencies and in some cases have technological equipment to recharge mobile phones. However, the shortage of material for the written press has put them in check.[5]​.

In line with what was stated in the previous section, the newsstand is part of a broader concept that can be called “point of sale”. Currently, the “point of sale” has extraordinarily expanded its scope in the wake of the massification of consumption; In this way, new “points of sale” appear in almost all public spaces that have a high level of concentration or traffic of people (airports or stations, large commercial areas, etc.), however, the news kiosk, inserted in the urban landscape, continues to maintain an important level of implementation in all developed societies, to the extent that it continues to be present in public squares and roads and, therefore, is accessible to all people, regardless of the social stratum to which they belong; and also, to some extent, to fulfill a certain function of “interpersonal relationship” or “meeting point.” It is not difficult to empirically verify how, in addition to buying the newspaper, the people who go to the kiosk greet its owner or other neighbors who are carrying out the same social activity, comment on the latest sports result or criticize the progress of the renovation works in the neighborhood, thus generating a complex network of contacts and interpersonal communications that contributes to supporting the public life of the area or city (thus connecting the kiosk with its most remote origin as a construction located in the square, and intended for demonstrations. public-cultural, such as music, mime, or even oral discourse itself; in short, the kiosk as an element of the agora or public forum, to which its etymological root refers).

In that sense, it is also worth noting how the location of the kiosk usually occupies strategic places in the neighborhood or cities that end up catalyzing part of the social relations in the area; and paradoxically they serve as an instrument of communication between this purely local sphere and the global sphere of communication (the latter, generally, in a uniquely unidirectional sense; although some publications, regardless of their subject matter, contain specific sections that encourage the reader's communication with the rest of the community, a paradigm of which is the traditional letters to the editor section), through the acquisition of the written press that reports on events that have occurred around the world (global sphere of communication). Continuing with this idea, the kiosk, through the sale of products related to ideas and/or hobbies, encourages the creation of communities or groups of united readers (affinities), through said publications, due to the ideas, activities, and content disseminated.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the confluence of facts that define the kiosk as a “point of sale” in the middle of the street and as a “meeting point” for citizens, and the fact that it is located in places with high traffic of people, make it a more than adequate advertising medium. Beyond the spaces intended for purely advertising uses (showcases with advertisements in the form of posters, etc.), and conveniently regulated by the kiosk ordinance of each city, brands give priority to the display of products in the kiosk over the sale of them, since the simple fact that people can see the merchandise generates demand. For all this reason, kiosks tend to become small shop windows located in privileged places that try to capture the attention of the citizen, and that also offer them the immediate possibility of purchasing the products at that same moment and in that same place (“immediacy that satisfies the impulse to purchase”).

Beyond the definition of the kiosk being adequate as a link in the chain that unites the edition of the newspaper with the reader and, therefore, that contributes to the dissemination of communication and culture, the truth is that the newsstand is also, if not essentially, the physical environment in which a strictly commercial activity is carried out (sale of merchandise in exchange for a price), which decisively conditions its location, its construction characteristics, and its offer.

In that sense, we have already indicated that the choice of location is defined by the high customer potential (very crowded places or places with intense traffic of people); The construction characteristics have been adapted to the progressive qualitative and quantitative transformations of the written press media, going from the simple table or counter to the current closed constructions (except in the façade open to the public) capable of displaying and storing stocks of a multiplicity of publications (monthly magazines, weeklies, newspapers, collectibles, etc.).

But it is crucial to emphasize that the newsstand, in the search for profit, inherent to commercial activity, has also experienced decisive transformations in the range of products that constitute its offer. The cinematographic image that we mentioned at the beginning of the young seller of copies of a newspaper is far away. Currently, the news kiosk offers, in the environment of its central product (written publications), all types of written communication media, including books and audiovisual media linked to the market strategy of newspapers and magazines; It also includes small everyday goods (candy, batteries, soft drinks, ice cream, etc.) connected to secondary needs. In short, a range of products is offered with a similar cost to that which constitutes the essential activity and suitable to be acquired in the act (daily and regular) of buying the newspaper. All these small merchandises, which were not originally part of the main activity, are currently acquiring great relevance, since the increase in the means of disseminating information and entertainment (radio, television and the Internet) generates the expectation of an eventual significant decrease in readers of the written press. Therefore, these merchandise are, to a large extent, a stabilizer of supply that allows the kiosk owner to continue with his professional activity, allowing him to compensate for the decrease in the sale of his traditional product.

The search for profit, to which we have been alluding, is being strongly conditioned by the revolution in written media that we are witnessing based on new information technologies; This question, which is part of the broader debate on the future of the written press, whose analysis goes beyond the limits of this article. But nevertheless, it is worth observing how this process of transformation in the information media (from paper printing to digital printing) is beginning to find a response in the offer and characteristics, constructive and technical, of news kiosks. For these purposes, it is worth noting that pilot experiences have already been carried out in news kiosks in Madrid,[6]​ and in other cities around the world, with the aim of converting the kiosk into a Wi-Fi network link point in such a way that wireless Internet connection is possible within the perimeter of the kiosk for users of media (e.g. third generation mobile phones) with this service. It should not be ruled out that we will soon see new technological devices (e-books, etc.) on the exhibitors or at the kiosk counter that allow access to the digital editions of newspapers and, in general, the dissemination of written information, as well as the offer of complementary services that make this possible (mobile cards, recharge services, etc.).

At the beginning of the century, the first stalls dedicated to selling newspapers emerged, at first light and precarious, usually consisting of a wooden table located in busy places (large avenues, market entrances, parks, squares, etc.). These first stalls soon evolve into slightly more elaborate fixed constructions, which allow both the publications and the seller themselves to be housed and protected from inclement weather. Next, the exhibitors appear that evolve from the simple table to shelves, supports, enclosures in the form of showcases, opening display doors, display boxes to advertising supports. All these elements contribute to the sale of the product, since if it is not “shown”, it does not exist for the buyer and therefore it is not sold.

But also, in a kiosk we can find technological systems that have been developed over time based on technical advances. The cash register, the facilities (light and telephone), the tobacco machine, the refrigerator and the ice cream freezer have been determining: on the one hand, the minimum space necessary for the interior of the kiosk; and on the other, the merchandise that can be stored and sold therein.

The awning, in addition to contributing to the thermal comfort of the seller, also provides shelter to buyers on rainy days or days of incessant sun, thus making it easier for them to purchase; and also acts as an attraction or icon of the kiosk for passers-by.

For some years now, in certain kiosks, computers have also begun to be implemented as an instrument to help in business management, in addition to a variety of electronic devices that perform specific tasks such as recharging mobile phones or transport passes.

In some countries, such as Venezuela, newsstands have evolved to the point that they sell not only newspapers, magazines, snacks and sweets, but also serve as lottery agencies and in some cases have technological equipment to recharge mobile phones. However, the shortage of material for the written press has put them in check.[5]​.

In line with what was stated in the previous section, the newsstand is part of a broader concept that can be called “point of sale”. Currently, the “point of sale” has extraordinarily expanded its scope in the wake of the massification of consumption; In this way, new “points of sale” appear in almost all public spaces that have a high level of concentration or traffic of people (airports or stations, large commercial areas, etc.), however, the news kiosk, inserted in the urban landscape, continues to maintain an important level of implementation in all developed societies, to the extent that it continues to be present in public squares and roads and, therefore, is accessible to all people, regardless of the social stratum to which they belong; and also, to some extent, to fulfill a certain function of “interpersonal relationship” or “meeting point.” It is not difficult to empirically verify how, in addition to buying the newspaper, the people who go to the kiosk greet its owner or other neighbors who are carrying out the same social activity, comment on the latest sports result or criticize the progress of the renovation works in the neighborhood, thus generating a complex network of contacts and interpersonal communications that contributes to supporting the public life of the area or city (thus connecting the kiosk with its most remote origin as a construction located in the square, and intended for demonstrations. public-cultural, such as music, mime, or even oral discourse itself; in short, the kiosk as an element of the agora or public forum, to which its etymological root refers).

In that sense, it is also worth noting how the location of the kiosk usually occupies strategic places in the neighborhood or cities that end up catalyzing part of the social relations in the area; and paradoxically they serve as an instrument of communication between this purely local sphere and the global sphere of communication (the latter, generally, in a uniquely unidirectional sense; although some publications, regardless of their subject matter, contain specific sections that encourage the reader's communication with the rest of the community, a paradigm of which is the traditional letters to the editor section), through the acquisition of the written press that reports on events that have occurred around the world (global sphere of communication). Continuing with this idea, the kiosk, through the sale of products related to ideas and/or hobbies, encourages the creation of communities or groups of united readers (affinities), through said publications, due to the ideas, activities, and content disseminated.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the confluence of facts that define the kiosk as a “point of sale” in the middle of the street and as a “meeting point” for citizens, and the fact that it is located in places with high traffic of people, make it a more than adequate advertising medium. Beyond the spaces intended for purely advertising uses (showcases with advertisements in the form of posters, etc.), and conveniently regulated by the kiosk ordinance of each city, brands give priority to the display of products in the kiosk over the sale of them, since the simple fact that people can see the merchandise generates demand. For all this reason, kiosks tend to become small shop windows located in privileged places that try to capture the attention of the citizen, and that also offer them the immediate possibility of purchasing the products at that same moment and in that same place (“immediacy that satisfies the impulse to purchase”).

Beyond the definition of the kiosk being adequate as a link in the chain that unites the edition of the newspaper with the reader and, therefore, that contributes to the dissemination of communication and culture, the truth is that the newsstand is also, if not essentially, the physical environment in which a strictly commercial activity is carried out (sale of merchandise in exchange for a price), which decisively conditions its location, its construction characteristics, and its offer.

In that sense, we have already indicated that the choice of location is defined by the high customer potential (very crowded places or places with intense traffic of people); The construction characteristics have been adapted to the progressive qualitative and quantitative transformations of the written press media, going from the simple table or counter to the current closed constructions (except in the façade open to the public) capable of displaying and storing stocks of a multiplicity of publications (monthly magazines, weeklies, newspapers, collectibles, etc.).

But it is crucial to emphasize that the newsstand, in the search for profit, inherent to commercial activity, has also experienced decisive transformations in the range of products that constitute its offer. The cinematographic image that we mentioned at the beginning of the young seller of copies of a newspaper is far away. Currently, the news kiosk offers, in the environment of its central product (written publications), all types of written communication media, including books and audiovisual media linked to the market strategy of newspapers and magazines; It also includes small everyday goods (candy, batteries, soft drinks, ice cream, etc.) connected to secondary needs. In short, a range of products is offered with a similar cost to that which constitutes the essential activity and suitable to be acquired in the act (daily and regular) of buying the newspaper. All these small merchandises, which were not originally part of the main activity, are currently acquiring great relevance, since the increase in the means of disseminating information and entertainment (radio, television and the Internet) generates the expectation of an eventual significant decrease in readers of the written press. Therefore, these merchandise are, to a large extent, a stabilizer of supply that allows the kiosk owner to continue with his professional activity, allowing him to compensate for the decrease in the sale of his traditional product.

The search for profit, to which we have been alluding, is being strongly conditioned by the revolution in written media that we are witnessing based on new information technologies; This question, which is part of the broader debate on the future of the written press, whose analysis goes beyond the limits of this article. But nevertheless, it is worth observing how this process of transformation in the information media (from paper printing to digital printing) is beginning to find a response in the offer and characteristics, constructive and technical, of news kiosks. For these purposes, it is worth noting that pilot experiences have already been carried out in news kiosks in Madrid,[6]​ and in other cities around the world, with the aim of converting the kiosk into a Wi-Fi network link point in such a way that wireless Internet connection is possible within the perimeter of the kiosk for users of media (e.g. third generation mobile phones) with this service. It should not be ruled out that we will soon see new technological devices (e-books, etc.) on the exhibitors or at the kiosk counter that allow access to the digital editions of newspapers and, in general, the dissemination of written information, as well as the offer of complementary services that make this possible (mobile cards, recharge services, etc.).