Social Media and News
Social Media intersects our lives in various different degrees of intensity. Since 2008, the number of users has grown rapidly. In February of 2019, 72% of the adults in the U.S. used at least one social media platform. Activity levels on these platforms have also experienced a sharp increase as we cope with stay-at-home orders and the lack of social interaction that comes with them. This desire for new forms of social interaction and connection during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a spike in social media activity.
A study from Pew Research shows that social media sites are outstripping print newspapers and that they will soon overtake TV news channels as well. In 2016, the gap between TV and social media decreased from 19 points to only a 7 point gap. Even amongst older generations, TV news channels saw varying levels decrease. It seems as though we are bombarded with news constantly. This saturation of content combined with the desire in our culture to find soundbites and summaries that quickly explain the information in the little free time we have is leading to less engagement and concern surrounding the issues.
Social media used to be an escape from the surrounding world, but now as more and more people flock there, the sites continue to grow and expand the list of products offered. One of the new features is a news tab containing articles from various different sources. Apps like Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, and TikTok are all incorporating “news” sections into their platforms at varying degrees. Twitter recently started “fact checking” users tweets and Facebook created a list of “trusted” news sites. Social media companies have almost unfettered ability to determine the news articles and content displayed on their platforms. Now as their influence over our lives grows, questions over how these companies will use this power do too.
What Will Social Media Companies do With Their Newfound Power?
Because Americans already spend much of their time on these apps, it is more convenient for them to turn there for the news than to look elsewhere.
As of late last year, 18% of U.S. adults say they turn most to social media for political and election news. That’s lower than the share who use news websites and apps (25%), but about on par with the percent who say their primary pathway is cable television (16%) or local television (16%), and higher than the shares who turn to three other pathways mentioned in the survey (network TV, radio and print).
However, there is a cost to this ease of access. A Pew Research study on social media and the news found that those getting their information from social media websites are “less knowledgeable” and “less engaged”on issues.
It is important, more so than ever, to be skeptical — especially of authority. We should not be fed from a small trickle of preselected, one-sided sources, but choose for ourselves the information we want to consume. While it may be convenient to read from a list of pre-approved news sources, it is ultimately damaging.
If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs for the next charlatan political or religious who comes ambling along. — Carl Sagan
We crave connivence in every aspect of our life. Although, in the short-run, it may be convenient and easy to allow others to decide for us what is fit for our eyes, it is ultimately unhealthy — for our country and for us as citizens of it — to allow others to decide for us which information should be censured and removed and which should be presented. In a time when being conscious of bias and seeking out truth should be paramount in our consumption of news, most have trouble separating real news from “fake news”. Articles displayed on social media should not be the only source of news, yet social media is the greatest source of news information for most Americans.
This graph from Pew Research shows the percentage of those who use social media and use it for news:
However, this mixture, as shown by Pew, damages engagement and knowledge on current events or issues. It is harmful to seek news from social media sites. It should not be the only source or main source of this type of information.
This combustable mixture cannot last long.
