Social media trends
Flip the cards to learn trends in social media and news consumption from the Reuters 2022 Digital News Report.
TikTok has become the fastest growing network, reaching 40% of 18–24s, with 15% using the platform for news.
Consumption of traditional media, such as TV and print, declined further in the last year in almost all markets (pre-Ukraine invasion), with online and social consumption not making up the gap.
Facebook remains the most-used social network for news but users are more likely to say they see too much news in their feed compared with other networks.
While older groups remain loyal to the platform, we show how the youngest generation has switched much of its attention to more visual networks over the last three years.
Crudité vs. veggie tray: campaigning in the era of social media
During his 2022 campaign for senate, Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz posted a video on social media that showed him grocery shopping for crudités items. He used this experience as the impetus for a discussion about inflation.
His Democratic opponent, John Fetterman, responded with his own video in which he called out a number of gaffes made by Oz, all of which played into the notion that Oz was an outsider who did not understand the people of Pennsylvania.
In this example, we can see how social media adds humor to the public discourse and allows political candidates the opportunity to make effective and inoffensive digs at their opposition.
It also demonstrates the interactivity of social media by making it possible for the public to view, share, comment, and react to social media content created by candidates.
Challenge yourself:
Can you spot more examples that illustrate the five alluring factors of social media in your own feeds?
Does the news shape social media or does social media shape the news?
As we consider the role of social media in news literacy, it makes sense to wonder who is driving the narrative. Are social media strategists "hacking" the news cycle? Or are they trying to add to the information that's being shared by reporters? Wu said it's both. She explained that social media can be a way to raise the profile of an incident that hasn't yet been covered, encouraging journalists to devote attention to it. It can also be a tool for amplifying a news story that has already been published.
Social media is not something that's anti-journalism. It's not trying to replace journalism...I think that they can go hand in hand.”
Annie Wu, journalist, activist, social media strategist
What can I do?
Use social media to add to your news, not to replace it
- Social media can be a great way to augment news you get from other sources.
Fact check information from social media
- Verify "news" you see on social media—especially if it's shared by a source that's not a known journalist or news outlet.
- Visit our Legit Lit page to learn techniques and tools to help you determine a source's accuracy.
- Take Care Before You Share to make sure you're not propagating misleading or false information.
Acknowledge social media's presence and allure
- Part of the reason people gravitate to social media content is that it feels more authentic than some traditional news sources; attempts at neutrality can undermine a news story's perceived authenticity.
- Good, bad, or indifferent, social media will likely be a permanent staple in our news cycle—and our democracy.
Listen & Subscribe
Listen to Episode 105: Social Media: Friend or Foe to the News Cycle? and subscribe to our News Over Noise podcast to continue learning how to balance staying informed while protecting your well-being and the public good.