The Blubber

Social media and video platforms have now become the primary source of news in the U.S., surpassing traditional TV channels and news websites, according to new research.

More than half (54%) of Americans now get news from platforms like Facebook, X, and YouTube, overtaking TV (50%) and news sites and apps (48%), based on data from 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,” the report stated.

Joe Rogan emerged as the most widely-seen media personality, with 22% of Americans reporting that they had encountered news or commentary from him in the previous week.

The report’s author, Nic Newman, noted that the surge in social video and personality-driven news “represents another significant challenge for traditional publishers.”

The institute also pointed to a growing trend of politicians choosing to appear on sympathetic online platforms instead of sitting for interviews with traditional media outlets. It said populist politicians globally are increasingly able to bypass traditional journalism, opting instead for friendly partisan media, personalities, and influencers, who often receive special access but rarely pose difficult questions—with many being implicated in spreading false narratives or worse.

Despite their popularity, influencers and online personalities were cited by 47% of people worldwide as a major source of false or misleading information, matching politicians as the top source of misinformation.

The report also observed that usage of X for news is “stable or increasing across many markets,” with the largest growth occurring in the United States. Since Elon Musk took over X in 2022, the platform has seen a surge in right-leaning users, especially younger men, while some progressive users have reduced usage or left entirely.

In the U.S., the percentage of users identifying as politically right-leaning tripled after Musk’s takeover. In the U.K., right-wing X users almost doubled.

Meanwhile, rival platforms like Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon are having “little impact globally,” with news reach of just 2% or less, the report stated.

Other key findings:

• TikTok is the fastest-growing social and video platform for news, now used by 17% of global users, a four-point increase from last year.
• The use of AI chatbots for news is growing, and is twice as popular among under-25s compared to the general population.
• However, most people believe AI will make news less transparent, accurate, and trustworthy.
• Across all age groups, people still value trusted news brands with a record for accuracy, even if they no longer turn to them as frequently.