Social News

People in the United States get their news from different places than they had in the past.  Technology has made it easier for people to find their news online in the form of text, video, or audio.  Online news has also been legitimized as many of the mainstream news sources have large presences on the internet as well as a number of reputable independent sources.  News online is diversified and people can get the scoop from a number of different sources immediately, giving them access to a wide range of viewpoints and constantly updating information.

A Pew Research analysis of news use across social media showed that, “A majority of U.S. adults – 62% -- get news on social media, and 18% do so often, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center, conducted in association with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.  In 2012, based on a slightly different question, 49% of U.S. adults reported seeing news on social media” (Gottfried & Shearer, 2016).  This shows that the trend is growing and more and more people are turning to non-traditional sources for finding their news.  There is also a trend in younger people turning to online sources in greater numbers compared with older people.  This trend will continue as more people are connected to these sources and are able to share content through social media.  As more and more people flock to the internet to get their news, the content creators will have more incentive to produce compelling and informative work.  People expect the news online to be just as credible as the news they can find through traditional sources and they expect up to the minute changes and the ability to find multiple accounts of the same story from a number of different sources.

Gottfried, J. & Shearer, E. (2016, May 26). News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2016. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/