1 in 5 Adults Get Their News from Social Media Influencers

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Across platforms, male news influencers outnumber women, and creators with explicit political orientations lean conservative.

Posted by lamplighter at 04:33 PM | 28 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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... Social media influencers were a hot topic during the 2024 presidential race as both parties courted creators ahead of the election.

Now, a new Pew Research Center survey reveals just how impactful so-called news influencers are in the current information ecosystem.

About 21% of U.S. adults are turning to news influencers for information, with most saying creators "helped them better understand current events and civic issues," according to the study. ...

The number was higher among young adults, with 37% of people ages 18 to 29 saying they turn to influencers for news.

Pew surveyed 10,000 adults and analyzed 500 news influencers, which it defined as individuals who regularly post about current events and have over 100,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X or YouTube.

"News influencers have emerged as one of the key alternatives to traditional outlets as a news and information source for a lot of people, especially younger folks," said the study's co-author Galen Stocking, a senior computational social scientist at Pew Research Center, in a news release. "And these influencers have really reached new levels of attention and prominence this year amid the presidential election." ....

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-20 02:50 AM | Reply

So strange, it's not broken down by number of users per platform.

For instance, "election influencers" on YouTube? Shorts or standard?

What ages are attracted to what platform and in what numbers?

That's the statistic that correlates more with the simplistic left/right description.

TikTok and Shorts format force feeds clips and promotes the production of reaction clips. Youtube offers entire debates.

Totally different audiences.

#2 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2024-11-20 02:30 PM | Reply

I'd also add that what she considers "social media influencers" should not be conflated with dedicated independent news.

Again, two different species.

#3 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2024-11-20 04:16 PM | Reply

Which is why putin was able to take down the USA without firing a shot.

Morons don't understand the value of being a professional journalist with editorial supervision.

#4 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2024-11-20 04:41 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 4

Which is why putin was able to take down the USA without firing a shot.
Morons don't understand the value of being a professional journalist with editorial supervision.
#4 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2024-11-20 04:41 PM | Reply | Flag:| Newsworthy 1

The professionals paid on main stream media are very supervised.

That's a reason the Amsterdam terrorism was framed as anti-Semitism.

Amateurs did a far better job capturing footage, obtaining interviews and displaying the evidence that MSM are lying about.

We can also study Gaza, but not on televised news.

That may be inspired by the intelligence apparatus controlling editors, anchors and producers?

Clips from TikTok and Shorts are generally not adequate to describe as journalism, so I wouldn't qualify them as such.

From my understanding Russia has a very captured news media, very similarly controlled as the United States does.

I have yet to see the retractions on the Dutch man being beaten in the streets by Israeli that was framed backwards by every single news source.

I can find that information on independent news.

#5 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2024-11-20 06:32 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Does that include the people here who view themselves as social media influencers (I really think some do) who win the vast universe of the internet daily with their garbled stupidity?

#6 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2024-11-20 06:40 PM | Reply

As a social media influencer, I don't find that unusual.

Gal has even used one of my tweets and doesn't know it.

#7 | Posted by oneironaut at 2024-11-20 06:47 PM | Reply | Funny: 3

Morons don't understand the value of being a professional journalist with editorial suppression.
#4 | Posted by SpeakSoftly

FTFY

#8 | Posted by oneironaut at 2024-11-20 06:47 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

- As a social media influencer,

I'm not sure you being a piddling pedantic poser qualifies as such.

#9 | Posted by Corky at 2024-11-20 06:55 PM | Reply

This is a result of the MSM cratering its own credibility.

#10 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-11-20 06:58 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

As a social media influencer

Say hello to Catturd.

#11 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2024-11-20 07:01 PM | Reply

Catturd is insulted and demands satisfaction!

#12 | Posted by Corky at 2024-11-20 07:02 PM | Reply

Morons don't understand the value of being a professional journalist with editorial suppression.
#4 | Posted by SpeakSoftly

FTFY

#8 | Posted by oneironaut

Nothing makes republicans angrier than when russian propaganda isn't allowed to freely pollute the minds of americans.

#13 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2024-11-20 08:11 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

This is a result of the MSM cratering its own credibility.

#10 | Posted by BellRinger

Dating back to when republicans lied us into a war and media didn't confront them enough out of fear of being called anti american.

#14 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2024-11-20 08:12 PM | Reply

Place blame with all corporate media.

How much money did Miriam Adleson gift Trump?

How much did Kamala rake in from foreign media owners? Or even "domestic"?

Obama didn't want pesky press briefings riddled with questions.

They report what they are paid to.

Access for existence.

Thus, Leon crashing Twitter - too many "critical independents".

#15 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2024-11-20 08:22 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

" Dating back to when republicans lied us into a war and media didn't confront them enough out of fear of being called anti american.

#14 | POSTED BY SPEAKSOFTLY AT 2024-11-20 08:12 PM | REPLY"

Yep.

#16 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-11-20 08:35 PM | Reply

American politicians and oligarchs use their propagandists in the mainstream news media and their narrative managers in the corporate world to manipulate public perception towards ultimately hyper-militant, murderous agendas using a complex web of half-truths, lies by omission, distortions, misleading headlines, and reversing the definition of victim and the aggressor- they start event timelines at convenient points, and, most importantly, they consistently repeat unproven allegations from untrustworthy sources. These media manipulators are as critical to the operation of the imperial war machine as the actual people who drop the bombs.

So its no wonder there are clear thinking individuals out there who seek to find the truth elsewhere.

#17 | Posted by NerfHerder at 2024-11-20 10:47 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

" Dating back to when republicans lied us into a war and media didn't confront them enough out of fear of being called anti american.

#14 | POSTED BY SPEAKSOFTLY AT 2024-11-20 08:12 PM | REPLY"

Yep.

#16 | Posted by BellRinger

And you lacked the ethics to stop supporting them at that point. Then they became the cult of a russian puppet con man who attempted a coup. Still not evil enough to lose your support...

#18 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2024-11-21 01:08 PM | Reply

This is a result of the MSM cratering its own credibility.

#10 | Posted by BellRinger

This is the result of stupid people thinking they're smart when in reality they're so reliably stupid the internet is cynically being geared towards controlling and manipulating them through algorithms and emotional manipulation.

MSM certainly has its issues, but don't try and pound that square peg into this round hole.

#19 | Posted by jpw at 2024-11-21 01:26 PM | Reply

Note the way they spin it up, taking it back to the primary FACTUAL source:

www.pewresearch.org

FACT: PEW says 21% of adults "regularly get news from news influencers on social media"

This is not at all surprising, since news on social media is unavoidable. BUT THEN "professional" journalists make it their own:

"21% of are TURNING TO to news influencers for information

"1 in 5 adults get THEIR news from social media influencers

"Percentage of U.S. adults by age who PRIMARILY get news from news influencers on social media"

These are very different messages than what is conveyed by the primary source. This is why I question literally everything I read, particularly articles that CLAIM to be supported by a study.

#20 | Posted by Miranda7 at 2024-11-21 01:46 PM | Reply

"These are very different messages than what is conveyed by the primary source. This is why I question literally everything I read"

In studying Harry Truman many years ago, I discovered Harry always read multiple newspapers daily, to get varied takes on events.

I adopted the habit, and it stunned me how often basic facts claimed differed from article to article. A real eye-opener.

#21 | Posted by Danforth at 2024-11-21 02:00 PM | Reply

Those numbers are light, IMO.

22 year olds admit to getting news from TikTok. 40 year olds don't.

Even when they do.

I bet the actual % is closer to double.

#22 | Posted by eberly at 2024-11-21 02:03 PM | Reply

"I discovered Harry always read multiple newspapers daily, to get varied takes on events.

I adopted the habit, and it stunned me how often basic facts claimed differed from article to article"

Me too. Whenever a story breaks, I'm flipping channels with the remote. trying to discern the truth. The underlying facts may be the same, but at each channel the phrasing changes as bias gets inserted. Adjectives matter, even tone of voice changes perceptions.

Unfortunately, "multiple newspapers" isn't enough either. Each original story spawns hundreds of other articles that are just lazy copies with a few phrases changed. The same thing appearing 500 times doesn't make it true.

#23 | Posted by Miranda7 at 2024-11-21 02:46 PM | Reply

Eberly, I don't know how old you are, and I'm not going to tell you my age, but most people I know don't have twitter accounts, and many don't even know what Tik Tok is. Facebook? Yeah, they are all over Facebook, liking and sharing inane ----.

#24 | Posted by Miranda7 at 2024-11-21 02:51 PM | Reply

#24 | Posted by Miranda7

There are several documentaries I've seen (I'd have to dig for them as I don't remember off the top of my head what they were called...) that featured numerous anecdotes of people who scrubbed their parent's emails and social media accounts of political influences and infotainment sources. All did so because of how angry, bitter and unbearable their parent(s) became while consuming said infotainment.

It always made a difference in their demeanor, outlook and day to day mood.

Facebook will go down in history as one of the most toxic inventions ever.

#25 | Posted by jpw at 2024-11-21 07:31 PM | Reply

@#23 ... Whenever a story breaks, I'm flipping channels with the remote. trying to discern the truth. ...

Similar here, but instead of flipping channels, I visit many websites.

Back, decades ago, in my teen years I had a shortwave radio. And I listened to the news broadcasts from many countries around the world. Some seemed to be quite odd, yet others seemed to be more rational.

And, as you may have noticed from the links I post, I still do try to find alternative views for much of what I see reported. But many times, those alternative views are, as Ms Kellyanne Conway stated, "alternate facts."

In those endeavors to find alternate views, I have found a few websites to be quite good.

Long story short, imo, I have found these two news evaluation websites to be quite helpful, and also pretty much correct.

Interactive Media Bias Chart
adfontesmedia.com

Media Bias / Fact Check
mediabiasfactcheck.com

YMMV, and all that.

#26 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-21 07:46 PM | Reply

#26 We have so much in common. Slide Rule, shortwave radio. I listened to Motown radio from my grandparents house in Alabama....I still have the radio. Now i use it to listen to the aircraft that I see fly by window.

#27 | Posted by Miranda7 at 2024-11-21 09:56 PM | Reply

@#27 ... We have so much in common. Slide Rule, shortwave radio. I listened to Motown radio from my grandparents house in Alabama.... ...

For me "Motown radio" was the NYC radio stations, mainly but not limited to, WABC-AM.

... Now i use it to listen to the aircraft that I see fly by window. ...

I currently have (with the appropriate roof-top antenna) an ICom IC-R7000 receiver. Frequency range is 25MHz to 2GHz. And I purchased it so long ago that the cell bands are available. ;)

My current shortwave radio ...

OK, long story short --- back in my teens I built a HeathKit shortwave radio. But in the late 80's it was replace by a Japan Radio Corporation NRD-515 ( www.eham.net )

Which I recently sold for an Eton Satellit ( www.universal-radio.com )

But nowadays, the Internet seems to have replaced shortwave listening for news from other countries. Which is why I sold the most excellent table-top NRD-515 for a good portable receiver.

#28 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-21 10:23 PM | Reply