Social Media: Few People Get Information Directly From the Source
Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 10:10 am
Local information challenged by platforms
Local newspapers, in particular, have been hit hard by shifts in consumer behavior and business models, and the pandemic has only compounded the challenges. Commitment to local news is being challenged by growing competition from Big Tech platforms and specialized websites and apps that focus on providing a particular service, such as weather forecasts or job searches. Local governments, businesses, and politicians also often provide information on local issues using their own websites and social media.
Traditional media – including newspapers, local gambling data australia TV and radio – are most popular for current topics such as local politics , crime , the economy or coronavirus , as well as local sports. Between 50 and 60% of people think these outlets offer the best information on these topics. Social media and search engines are most popular for information on shops and restaurants (49%), local services (47%) or things to do in the area (46%). Of course, search and social media can serve as a link to local news, but in most cases, the information sought is contained within the platform, making it a destination in its own right.
New business models for the media
Advertising revenue is increasingly going to Google, Facebook and a few other large platforms that have disrupted an industry already battered by the digital shift. While some news organizations still generate significant offline and online advertising revenue, the share of advertising that goes to news media is declining. The first, and perhaps most important, point the study reveals is that media funding is not a particularly important issue for most people . This of course has implications for public support for reforms and business model changes, and may influence how policymakers prioritize these issues.
Globally, slightly more people are subscribing to online news, particularly, unsurprisingly, in wealthy countries. In the United States, multiple subscriptions are increasingly common. Here, 21% of respondents said they pay for at least one online news outlet , and for those who do pay, the median number of subscriptions is two.
Across all markets, just a quarter of readers prefer to start their news journey with a website or app . 18-24 year-olds (Generation Z) have an even weaker connection to websites and apps and are almost twice as likely to access news via social media, aggregators or mobile alerts.
As smartphone usage for news has grown (73% of respondents across all countries access news from a smartphone, up from 69% in 2020), so has the reach of news alerts. These alerts aren’t just coming from publisher apps: mobile aggregators also seem to be benefiting, with Apple News in particular growing in the US.
The accelerating tech revolution means that most people access news via smartphones, while GenZ primarily uses social media or messaging apps to consume or discuss news. TikTok now reaches 24% of under-35s, with higher penetration rates in Asia and Latin America. Social media is a major channel for spreading misinformation, led by Facebook and WhatsApp, but tech giants have also been used as a conduit for dissent in protests in Peru, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and the US.
The overall message of the Reuters Digital News Report is that most people want fair and balanced news that lets them make up their own minds, and despite growing problems with the print business model, many are willing to pay for it.
Cover image: Muhammadtaha Ibrahim Ma'aji on UnsplashStray Links: Mixed results for 5G
wandering links
July 3, 2021
Reading time: 6 min
Share
TO REMEMBER THIS WEEK:
MWC/5G – Almost three years after the first launches, mixed results for 5G . 5G is now present on all continents. By 2025, 20% of mobile connections worldwide will be in 5G, compared to only 4% today, according to the latest GSMA report published at the Mobile World Congress. A third of users say they are disappointed with the experience while another third prefer to wait and see what 5G will bring them. We are still far from the announced revolution. Another notable fact of the MWC: The almost complete absence of traditional equipment manufacturers at the Mobile World Congress, which left the field open to start-ups that want to replace them . To do this, they are banking on the Open RAN architecture , which does not rely on the traditional equipment of Huawei, Nokia or Ericsson. All while waiting for the arrival of 6G .
GAFAM Monopoly – The EU and the United States are finally on the same wavelength to fight against the hegemony of GAFA. After the government's failed antitrust lawsuit against Facebook , Senator Elizabeth Warren is looking for a new angle of attack against Google and digital advertising in the United States: on June 28, she requested an investigation (pdf) against Google for manipulation of digital advertising markets, at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ( CFTC ). The giant is already the subject of antitrust investigations in the United States and Europe, for its practices in the advertising sector, a sector from which Google draws the majority of its revenues, 80% in the last quarter or $44 billion in turnover.
Meanwhile, Amazon wants to protect itself from Lina Khan , the new chair of the FTC, especially since Jeff Bezos' empire has become the 3rd force in online advertising with the Facebook and Google duopoly . The list of the 5 major lawsuits against Google and Facebook. And Facebook has just reached a market capitalization of 1,000 billion dollars . To circumvent negative media coverage, Silicon Valley companies are creating their own publications . What does the dismantling of big tech companies really mean ?
Newspaper business model – In 2020, for the first time, newspaper circulation revenue will exceed advertising revenue , according to the Pew Research Center 's State of the News Media study.
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Local newspapers, in particular, have been hit hard by shifts in consumer behavior and business models, and the pandemic has only compounded the challenges. Commitment to local news is being challenged by growing competition from Big Tech platforms and specialized websites and apps that focus on providing a particular service, such as weather forecasts or job searches. Local governments, businesses, and politicians also often provide information on local issues using their own websites and social media.
Traditional media – including newspapers, local gambling data australia TV and radio – are most popular for current topics such as local politics , crime , the economy or coronavirus , as well as local sports. Between 50 and 60% of people think these outlets offer the best information on these topics. Social media and search engines are most popular for information on shops and restaurants (49%), local services (47%) or things to do in the area (46%). Of course, search and social media can serve as a link to local news, but in most cases, the information sought is contained within the platform, making it a destination in its own right.
New business models for the media
Advertising revenue is increasingly going to Google, Facebook and a few other large platforms that have disrupted an industry already battered by the digital shift. While some news organizations still generate significant offline and online advertising revenue, the share of advertising that goes to news media is declining. The first, and perhaps most important, point the study reveals is that media funding is not a particularly important issue for most people . This of course has implications for public support for reforms and business model changes, and may influence how policymakers prioritize these issues.
Globally, slightly more people are subscribing to online news, particularly, unsurprisingly, in wealthy countries. In the United States, multiple subscriptions are increasingly common. Here, 21% of respondents said they pay for at least one online news outlet , and for those who do pay, the median number of subscriptions is two.
Across all markets, just a quarter of readers prefer to start their news journey with a website or app . 18-24 year-olds (Generation Z) have an even weaker connection to websites and apps and are almost twice as likely to access news via social media, aggregators or mobile alerts.
As smartphone usage for news has grown (73% of respondents across all countries access news from a smartphone, up from 69% in 2020), so has the reach of news alerts. These alerts aren’t just coming from publisher apps: mobile aggregators also seem to be benefiting, with Apple News in particular growing in the US.
The accelerating tech revolution means that most people access news via smartphones, while GenZ primarily uses social media or messaging apps to consume or discuss news. TikTok now reaches 24% of under-35s, with higher penetration rates in Asia and Latin America. Social media is a major channel for spreading misinformation, led by Facebook and WhatsApp, but tech giants have also been used as a conduit for dissent in protests in Peru, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and the US.
The overall message of the Reuters Digital News Report is that most people want fair and balanced news that lets them make up their own minds, and despite growing problems with the print business model, many are willing to pay for it.
Cover image: Muhammadtaha Ibrahim Ma'aji on UnsplashStray Links: Mixed results for 5G
wandering links
July 3, 2021
Reading time: 6 min
Share
TO REMEMBER THIS WEEK:
MWC/5G – Almost three years after the first launches, mixed results for 5G . 5G is now present on all continents. By 2025, 20% of mobile connections worldwide will be in 5G, compared to only 4% today, according to the latest GSMA report published at the Mobile World Congress. A third of users say they are disappointed with the experience while another third prefer to wait and see what 5G will bring them. We are still far from the announced revolution. Another notable fact of the MWC: The almost complete absence of traditional equipment manufacturers at the Mobile World Congress, which left the field open to start-ups that want to replace them . To do this, they are banking on the Open RAN architecture , which does not rely on the traditional equipment of Huawei, Nokia or Ericsson. All while waiting for the arrival of 6G .
GAFAM Monopoly – The EU and the United States are finally on the same wavelength to fight against the hegemony of GAFA. After the government's failed antitrust lawsuit against Facebook , Senator Elizabeth Warren is looking for a new angle of attack against Google and digital advertising in the United States: on June 28, she requested an investigation (pdf) against Google for manipulation of digital advertising markets, at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ( CFTC ). The giant is already the subject of antitrust investigations in the United States and Europe, for its practices in the advertising sector, a sector from which Google draws the majority of its revenues, 80% in the last quarter or $44 billion in turnover.
Meanwhile, Amazon wants to protect itself from Lina Khan , the new chair of the FTC, especially since Jeff Bezos' empire has become the 3rd force in online advertising with the Facebook and Google duopoly . The list of the 5 major lawsuits against Google and Facebook. And Facebook has just reached a market capitalization of 1,000 billion dollars . To circumvent negative media coverage, Silicon Valley companies are creating their own publications . What does the dismantling of big tech companies really mean ?
Newspaper business model – In 2020, for the first time, newspaper circulation revenue will exceed advertising revenue , according to the Pew Research Center 's State of the News Media study.
This week in France
Cookies: the CNIL continueshis fight for publishers' compliance
France switches to very high speed broadband
[Europe] Ten media outlets join forces to launch “Vu d’Europe” and share articles online
3 FIGURES
$5.4 million – that’s how much the source code of the internet sold for in NFT form
European digital doubled its value in 2021 to €670 billion
France should have 33% of teleworkers in 2022 [Gartner]
CHART OF THE WEEK
Infographic: Women's Representation in Big Tech | StatistaYou will find more infographics at Statista
OUR BEST READS / WORTH YOUR TIME / LONG READ
How to destroy the truth
"In Hong Kong, we are no longer fighting for democracy, we are holding on to slow our death"
Robots were supposed to take our jobs. Instead, they're making them worse
The Internet is destroying what maintains humanity's knowledge
Fashion: The end of all-powerful editorialists
DISRUPTION, DISLOCATION, GLOBALIZATION
Bye bye attention economy: to enjoy the web, you will have to pay now
China: Factory workers become TikTok influencers
First step in in vivo gene editing therapy reached
73 million Americans own 7 connected devices
Amazon launches vinyl record subscription
GAFA / BATX