United States: Social media and video platforms have overtaken traditional television and news websites as the main source of news for Americans, according to the latest Digital News Report.
The report reveals that 54 percent of people in the United States now rely on platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok for news. This figure identifies social networks ahead of television at 50 percent and news websites and apps at 48 percent, marking a clear shift in news consumption habits.
Researchers noted that while the shift toward social media for news is a global trend, it is revving more rapidly and with greater impact in the US than in other countries. Personality-driven content is at the heart of this change. Podcaster Joe Rogan appeared as the most widely viewed news personality, with 22 percent of Americans saying they had seen news or commentary from him in the past week.
The rise of social video and influencer-based news delivery is creating fresh challenges for traditional news outlets, according to Nic Newman, lead author of the report. He warned that mainstream media now faces a more fragmented and competitive environment, where digital personalities attract larger, more loyal audiences.
The report also suggested a growing trend among populist politicians to bypass traditional journalism in favour of interviews with online personalities and partisan hosts. These figures often receive special permit while avoiding hard questions, making it easier to push certain narratives. As a result, influencers and politicians were named by 47 percent of global respondents as leading sources of false or misleading information.
Political shifts are also evident on X, where a surge in right-leaning users has been observed since Elon Musk acquired the platform in 2022. In the US, the share of users identifying as politically right-leaning tripled following the takeover, while in the UK, this group nearly doubled. Progressive users, by contrast, are either using the platform less or leaving it altogether.
While rival platforms such as Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon have gained attention, the report noted they are still failing to make a global impact, each attracting only 2 percent or less of users for news consumption.
TikTok stands out as the fastest-growing social and video platform for news, now used by 17 percent of the global population, an increase of four percentage points since last year. The report also found that AI chatbots are becoming a popular source of news, especially among those under 25, who are twice as likely to use AI for news as the general population.
Despite growing reliance on digital platforms and AI tools, most respondents believe that artificial intelligence will reduce the transparency, accuracy, and trustworthiness of news. Yet even with these concerns, all age groups still value trusted news brands with a record for reliability, even if they engage with them less frequently.
Now in its 14th year, the Digital News Report offers a sweeping look at news habits around the world, surveying nearly 100,000 people in 48 countries. Its latest findings underscore a fast-moving transformation in how news is consumed, shared, and trusted.
TRENDING | Reliance Jio users across India hit by major network outage
