Social media news updates can include anything from a story to an event or current information that is affecting the community. These updates can be seen across a variety of channels including social, blogs and websites.
The rise of social media as a source for news has both positives and negatives. While it is a great way for people to stay in touch with each other and learn about new trends, the sheer number of options can lead to false news and biased content. With new technologies such as deep fakes – edited videos that can make anyone look and sound like they are saying anything – misinformation is on the rise.
Another issue is that the way the news is consumed on social media often mixes opinions and facts together in a sensationalized manner. This can create an environment where people only receive news that reinforces their existing beliefs, creating a self-reinforcing echo chamber of opinions and information.
When it comes to specific sites, smaller shares of Americans regularly get news on Instagram (20%), TikTok (17%) and X (formerly Twitter) (12%). But some platforms do stand out as being destinations for news: Rumble (59%), Truth Social (57%), Snapchat (57%) and LinkedIn (4%) all see large shares of people who regularly consume the news on their site. The gender, age and political party of those who regularly get news on these sites also differs significantly from the overall population.