Research: Social Media Now Main Source of News in US

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Social media and video networks have become the main source of news in the US, overtaking traditional TV channels and news websites, research suggests.

Posted by LampLighter at 08:31 AM | 23 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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Social media displaces TV as the top way Americans get news. www.niemanlab.org/2025/06/for- ...

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-- Nieman Lab (@niemanlab.org) Jun 16, 2025 at 7:35 PM

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More from the research analysis ...

... More than half (54%) of people get news from networks like Facebook, X and YouTube - overtaking TV (50%) and news sites and apps (48%), according to the Reuters Institute.

"The rise of social media and personality-based news is not unique to the United States, but changes seem to be happening faster " and with more impact " than in other countries," a report found.

Podcaster Joe Rogan was the most widely-seen personality, with almost a quarter (22%) of the population saying they had come across news or commentary from him in the previous week.

The report's author Nic Newman said the rise of social video and personality-driven news "represents another significant challenge for traditional publishers".

The institute also highlighted a trend for some politicians to give their time to sympathetic online hosts rather than mainstream interviewers.

It said populist politicians around the world are "increasingly able to bypass traditional journalism in favour of friendly partisan media, 'personalities', and 'influencers' who often get special access but rarely ask difficult questions, with many implicated in spreading false narratives or worse". ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-06-17 09:32 PM | Reply

It didn't have to be this way. Legacy media is a failed institution. A bunch of lying propagandists.

#2 | Posted by BellRinger at 2025-06-18 12:17 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Of course!

Social media provides people with confirmation bias and it got stupid fkkking morons, aka deplorable trumping MAGAts, to feel proud of their ignorance and hate, because it put them in contact with other ignorant, hateful people.

Sources like QAnon and 4chan gave conservatives all the misinformation they were looking for. Pushing them further into the fringes of rightwing conspiracy theories and propaganda.

Then Musk bought X and it was over.

America is currently choking on stupidity, corruption and greed, while the rest of the world is figuring out how to continue without us.

#3 | Posted by ClownShack at 2025-06-18 12:28 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

@#3 ... Social media provides people with confirmation bias ...

Yup.

People can select the social media conduits that tell them what they want to hear, instead of the truth that the real news media provides.

The real news media didn't fail, many (most?) consumers of ~news~ failed by their inability to handle what they did not want to hear.

#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-06-18 01:18 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

MSM has to tow the administration's "official line".

Enough said.

#5 | Posted by fresno500 at 2025-06-18 04:21 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

" The real news media didn't fail"

Trust in legacy media is at a historic all time low. That's failure and it's 100% self inflicted.

#6 | Posted by BellRinger at 2025-06-18 04:56 PM | Reply

" Trust in legacy media is at a historic all time low. That's failure and it's 100% self inflicted."

Don't sell yourself short. You deserve a lot of the credit.

You come here daily and lie, then you cite sources that purposely leave out the salient part, or you'll leave it out, for partisan political purposes.

You should be happy with this accomplishment. You helped build that!

Now be the Proud Boy we all know you are!

#7 | Posted by Danforth at 2025-06-18 05:05 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 3

Danforth,

Your attempted own is SO lame.

#8 | Posted by BellRinger at 2025-06-18 05:52 PM | Reply

This is why we have a criminal in the oval office.

#9 | Posted by Nixon at 2025-06-19 08:47 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

What bothers me about social media is how it permeates all forms of communication and the targeted advertisements follow me everywhere.

What is funny is that... 60 years ago... feeling like that would have meant I was paranoid... now it's just how things are

#10 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2025-06-19 08:53 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 3

It didn't have to be this way. Legacy media is a failed institution. A bunch of lying propagandists.

#2 | Posted by BellRinger

And yet, when you look at the s*&^ news people like you and the other MAGA morons believe that you're getting from social media, you see it's far worse.

You don't understand the words you mouth, trying to sound learned and informed.

#11 | Posted by jpw at 2025-06-19 09:17 AM | Reply

Trust in legacy media is at a historic all time low. That's failure and it's 100% self inflicted.

#6 | Posted by BellRinger

As with everything else, you have zero understanding of reality.

#12 | Posted by jpw at 2025-06-19 09:18 AM | Reply

Your attempted own is SO lame.

#8 | Posted by BellRinger

Racists never thing they're racist.

Sexists never think they're sexist.

S(*&ty people never think they're s*(&ty (they usually describe themselves as Chreestian).

And, like you, gullible fools never think they're gullible fools.

He succinctly described you and your MO when it comes to sharing or disseminating information.

#13 | Posted by jpw at 2025-06-19 09:20 AM | Reply

What is funny is that... 60 years ago... feeling like that would have meant I was paranoid... now it's just how things are

#10 | POSTED BY RIGHTISTRITE

Frogs don't panic in warm water because they can't tell that it is about to boil.

The Singularity is Nearer.

#14 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-06-19 12:21 PM | Reply

Like most folks who don't realize what tremendous power a billionaire can wield against us as individuals people just don't understand the power of AI and how it is already being used against us.

AI will run circles around us analyzing all our weaknesses while we use social media to bicker about how stupid and uninformed Dingaling is.

#15 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-06-19 01:25 PM | Reply

We like the Epoch Times.

#16 | Posted by MSgt at 2025-06-19 02:19 PM | Reply

The real news media didn't fail, many (most?) consumers of ~news~ failed by their inability to handle what they did not want to hear.
#4 | Posted by LampLighter

Slight disagreement...

The algorithms of social media tell us what we want to hear.

Corporate media, and especially cable news, tells us what THEY want us to hear.

And it's becoming more difficult by the day to find any "real news media".

#17 | Posted by Whatsleft at 2025-06-19 03:22 PM | Reply

JPW

I guarantee my sources of news are more diversified than yours. Fact is legacy media cratered their own reputation and that is solely on the industry. BTW - you are nowhere near as smart as your massive ego believes. You are like Vizzini or Wile E Coyote.

#18 | Posted by BellRinger at 2025-06-19 06:48 PM | Reply

@#18 ... I guarantee my sources of news are more diversified than yours. ...

How does your current alias know all the sources of news that anyone on this most august site uses?

#19 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-06-19 06:56 PM | Reply

#19. JPW would never condescend to view anything from a news outlet that is remotely to the right of center.

#20 | Posted by BellRinger at 2025-06-19 07:56 PM | Reply

@#20 ... condescend to view anything from a news outlet that is remotely to the right of center. ...

So, your current alias seems to say that to visit the right-leaning news outlets is a condescension?

Of course, that then begs the question ... why does your current alias seem to hold such a low opinion of those news outlets?

#21 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-06-19 09:20 PM | Reply

@#20

And, I also note, that your current alias side-stepped my question in #19...

How does your current alias know all the sources of news that anyone on this most august site uses?

#22 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-06-19 09:22 PM | Reply

Commentary on social media "news" ...

Fact check: Old war videos recycled as fake news
www.dw.com

... Many viral videos claiming to show Israeli and Iranian bombings are fake and include AI-generated clips as well as 2003 Iraq war footage. Learn how to spot disinformation and verify content yourself. ...

Since Israel started bombing Iran last Friday, and Iran hit back in retaliation, the battlefield has not just stayed on the ground but expanded to include the internet. A huge amount of disinformation is being spread there by both sides: mainly old videos being reused as allegedly current material. DW Fact check also found AI-generated videos created to spread false information. ...

#23 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-06-19 09:25 PM | Reply