A recent report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism reveals a significant shift in global news consumption patterns, with a 10-point decline since 2018 in the number of individuals who primarily access news through websites or applications. The study highlights that younger demographics are increasingly turning to social media platforms, search engines, and mobile news aggregators for their news updates.
According to the annual Digital News Report, audiences are placing greater emphasis on content from celebrities, influencers, and social media figures over traditional journalists, particularly on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. TikTok has emerged as the fastest-growing social network for news, with usage among 18- to 24-year-olds reaching 20 percent, a rise of five percentage points from the previous year. Interest in news overall has notably decreased, with fewer than half of survey respondents indicating substantial interest, down from 60 percent in 2017.
Rasmus Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute, commented on the trend, stating that it is unrealistic to expect those born in the 2000s to shift back to conventional news formats such as websites, television, or print as they age. The findings are drawn from an extensive online survey that polled around 94,000 adults across 46 markets, including the United States.
The survey also revealed that only about a third of participants consider algorithm-driven news recommendations based on prior consumption to be effective, representing a 6-point drop since the last time this question was posed in 2016. Despite this decline, respondents still show a slight preference for algorithmically chosen news over selections made by editors or journalists.
Trust in the news has diminished, dropping by 2 percentage points within the last year and reversing previous gains made during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, an average of 40 percent express trust in news most of the time. Notably, the United States saw a 6-point rise in trust to 32 percent, yet it remains among the lowest in the reported data.
Furthermore, 56 percent of respondents express concerns about distinguishing between genuine and fabricated news online, an increase of 2 percentage points from last year.
Overall, the report indicates that only 48 percent of individuals claim to have a strong or very strong interest in news, down from 63 percent in 2017.
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is supported by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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