Social media and video platforms are becoming the main source of news around the world. According to a Reuters Institute study of more than 100,000 people in 48 countries, more and more users get their news from Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. In the US, this figure is especially high - 54% of respondents get their news from these platforms. This is reported by the BBC.
Television and news sites and apps lag behind modern platforms, but not by much, with 50% and 48% of respondents using them for news respectively. At the same time, if we look at individuals, 22% of the US population has seen podcaster Joe Rogan's news in the past week or two.
"The rise of social media and personality-based news is not unique to the United States, but changes seem to be happening faster – and with more impact – than in other countries," the study said.
The study's author, Nick Newman, notes that the rise of social video and news from individuals is a significant challenge for traditional media. He also notes the trend of politicians devoting their time to online hosts like Rogan rather than traditional interviewers.
The study further notes that politicians around the world favor online presenters because it allows them to bypass traditional journalism in favor of friendly influencers. Despite this, 47% of people worldwide consider such online figures to be the main source of disinformation.
Of particular note is X (formerly Twitter), which, after its acquisition by Elon Musk in 2022, has become much more popular among right-wing youth, while left-wingers have become less likely to use the platform. The number of "right-wing" Americans on X has tripled since Musk's acquisition, and the number of Britons has doubled.
Meanwhile, overall demand for news on X has grown in recent years, while competitors like Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon lag far behind. According to the study, Musk's platform's competitors "have little impact on the global market, with a reach of 2% or less for news."
Among other things, the study notes that TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform, with 17% of people worldwide using the platform for news. AI-powered chatbots are also growing in popularity, but mostly among people under 25, although most believe that AI makes news less transparent, accurate, and trustworthy.
As for traditional media, all generations still value proven brands with a track record, even if they use them less frequently than before.