New Research Delves into Social Media’s Role as a Modern News Source
According to new data from the Pew Research Center,
compiled as part of a study which aimed to explore the role of social media platforms among US citizens as a fast-rising source of news, 67% of US adults now turn to
social media for this purpose, with just over a quarter (26%) of respondents
acquiring their news from multiple social media sites, up from 15% in 2013 and
18% in 2016.
Facebook reportedly maintains the largest share of news
consumers of any social media platform with 45% of US adults making use of the
site in such a way; of those users approximately 50% use Facebook as their sole
source of news, at least as far as competing social media platforms are
concerned.
At the other end of the scale sit well-known platforms
including WhatsApp, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and Instagram, which area used as news
sources by 2%, 5%, 5%, and 7% of the US population respectively. News users who
utilise these platforms are also far more likely to find news across three or
more social media sites, with more than half of their users doing so.
Reddit stands as something of an anomaly; while only 4% of
US adults use the site as a news source, among those who do a surprisingly-low
proportion of just 38% spread their search for news across three or more social
media platforms, as compared to 68% among Instagram’s news users. Reddit’s
small audience is apparently rather exclusive.
The report also offered insight into the demographical split
of news users across various platforms, revealing that “US adults who get news
from multiple social networking sites are more likely to be non-white and
younger. About half (47%) of news consumers who rely on two or more social
media sites for news are non-white (including Hispanics), compared with about
one-fourth (26%) of those who use just one site. They are more likely to be
under age 50: 77% are 18-49 compared with 56% of those who use just one site
for news. Additionally, they are twice as likely to be ages 18-29 (37% vs.
18%).”
The data provided by the report could prove highly valuable
to online news outlets that rely on said social media platforms in order to
reach their audience, providing further clarity on who exactly they can expect
to find scrolling through the feeds of each.
Sam
is an aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers.
Currently working as Editor of Social Songbird, he hopes to one day drop that
'aspiring' prefix. Follow him @Songbird_Sam
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New Research Delves into Social Media’s Role as a Modern News Source
Reviewed by Unknown
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Wednesday, November 08, 2017
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Reviewed by Unknown
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Wednesday, November 08, 2017
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