Despite Facebook’s efforts to reduce its role as a news provider, a recent study by Pew Research reveals that the social media platform remains a popular source of current affairs for many in the US. Out of every ten adults in the country, three still regularly obtain news from Facebook, surpassing all other social media sites included in the study. YouTube follows closely behind with 26 percent of US adults using the video hosting website for news, while Instagram secures third place with 16 percent. TikTok (14 percent), X (12 percent), and Reddit (8 percent) also serve as news sources for a portion of the US population.
Last year, when it was announced that Meta, Facebook’s parent company, would no longer pay publishers to feature their content on the platform’s News Tab, a spokesperson stated that most users did not visit Facebook for news, causing the company to prioritize areas aligning with user preferences. However, according to the study, 43 percent of users still rely on Facebook for news. Although this figure is lower than the 54 percent observed in 2020, it remains a substantial portion. Furthermore, TikTok has experienced significant growth in its news consumption, with 43 percent of users now obtaining news from the app compared to 22 percent three years ago. Among all the social networks in the study, X (formerly Twitter) has the highest percentage of users (53 percent) who utilize the platform for news.
The study also indicates that men primarily rely on Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube for news updates, while women predominantly consume news from Nextdoor, Facebook, and Instagram. Additionally, a majority of news consumers on social media platforms identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, although no significant partisan differences were found among Facebook, X, or Nextdoor users. Ultimately, social media platforms must continue monitoring the spread of misinformation on their platforms, even if they choose to shift away from news content, as a significant number of individuals still turn to these platforms for the latest information and updates.
