📱 Social Media Surpasses Television in the US – A Historic Shift – Reuters Survey
- For the first time ever, more Americans (54%) get their news from social media than TV (50%).
- This marks the end of television’s decades-long dominance as the main news source.
- The data was collected post-President Trump’s second inauguration, underlining the media disruption during politically volatile times.
🎙️ The Rise of “News Influencers” & Personality-Driven Journalism
- Traditional anchors are outpaced by podcasters, YouTubers, and TikTokers who dominate political and cultural narratives.
- Joe Rogan emerged as a media titan: 22% of Americans consumed his content the week after the inauguration, especially among young men (a group legacy media fails to engage).
- This reflects a seismic trust shift: people prefer “raw opinions” from creators over scripted newsrooms.
🌍 Global Pattern: India, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand Mirror the Trend
- These nations, with younger populations and booming digital access, see massive influencer-led news consumption via YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
- Traditional outlets struggle to break through, especially where mobile-first content is king.
💬 X (Formerly Twitter) Becomes More Right-Leaning Under Elon Musk
- A 50% increase in right-wing users was observed since Musk’s takeover.
- Left-leaning users dropped from 17% to 14%, indicating a political polarization of the platform.
- This shift may reduce X’s influence among moderates and progressives but deepens its role as a political echo chamber.
📉 Publishers in Peril: Platforms, Not Newsrooms, Now Dominate
- Facebook (36%) and YouTube (30%) are top global news distributors.
- Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and X follow closely — users are now informed without visiting a single news website.
- Traditional publishers face a double whammy:
- Loss of audience
- Loss of ad revenue
- The “news personality economy” is outcompeting traditional editorial models.
Alarming Growth of News Avoidance
- Globally, 40% of people avoid the news — the highest ever recorded (up from 29% in 2017).
- UK leads with 46% news avoiders.
People feel overwhelmed by constant negativity, war, politics, and disaster reporting.
🧠 Gen Z Turns to AI for News: A New Disruption
- 12% of under-35s now use AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini for news.
- This means users may never visit actual news sites — they trust AI to summarize reality.
- While AI is expected to make news faster and cheaper, concerns include:
- Less transparency
- Possible bias or hallucinations
- Reduced trust in factual accuracy
😱 Truth in Crisis: 58% Globally Can’t Tell What’s Real
- 73% of Africans and Americans fear being misled by online content.
- As creators and influencers dominate, misinformation spreads easily, especially when regulation lags behind technology.
READ MORE: Why Coke Studio 15 and Velo Season 3 Flopped
💸 No Real Money in News Video — Yet
- Despite popularity, platforms don’t share enough revenue with publishers.
- Most video news is consumed on platforms, not on publishers’ websites, limiting commercial return for journalists.
🧭 Big Picture: What This All Means
- 📉 Legacy media needs a new playbook — tone, formats, and platforms must evolve fast.
- 👥 Trust now lies with personalities, not institutions.
- 🤖 AI, not humans, may soon be the first filter of news for millions.
- 📊 Engagement ≠ Revenue: Publishers are engaging audiences but losing the monetization game to platforms.
- 🚫 The risk of disinformation, polarization, and news fatigue has never been higher.
Final Thought:
The 2025 report doesn’t just highlight a media shift — it chronicles the collapse of old models and the chaotic birth of new, decentralized, influencer- and AI-driven news ecosystems. It’s not just what we read — it’s who controls the truth now that matters.
Courtesy: Reuters
