NEW YORK — How Americans get their news is a subject many broadcasting industry leaders likely have their pulse on. But, where does TikTok, the social media platform leading Republicans want shut down in the U.S. due to its alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party, fare?
The three-year surge for TikTok as a legitimate news source is real, and potentially alarming.
According to Pew Research Center data released Wednesday (11/13), social media — as well as news websites, TV, radio, and podcasts — all merit as places where consumers regularly get the news.
But, where TikTok comes into the picture may be downright startling — the percentage of TikTok users who regularly get news on the app grew to 43% in 2023, from 22% in 2020.
While the Nextdoor app is gaining ground among those who enjoy the hyperlocal “citizen journalism” content, TikTok’s growth among its users comes as Reddit, Facebook and X are falling.
Some 8,842 U.S. adults chimed in with their thoughts in a Pew survey conducted from September 25-October 1.
FIRST PLACE TO FIRST SOCIAL STAR
When it comes to where Americans regularly get news on social media, Facebook outpaces all other social media sites.
While some may believe its penetration with younger audiences is waning, Pew finds that some three-in-10 U.S. adults say they regularly get news there. Some 26% regularly get news on YouTube. Smaller shares regularly get news on Instagram (16%), TikTok (14%), X (12%) or Reddit (8%).
Thus, while TikTok users are smaller in number, it is their dedication to the platform that is worth noting.
Some 53% of X users get news there. In contrast, just 15% of Snapchat users regularly get news on the app.
GENDER MATTERS
When it comes to social media and where users are getting their news, gender is important as a distinction point.
Women make up a greater portion of regular news consumers on Nextdoor
(66%), Facebook (62%), Instagram (59%) and TikTok (58%), while men make up a greater share on sites like Reddit (67%), X (62%) and YouTube (58%).
The Pew study also took a look at where Americans get their news. Some 86% of U.S. adults say they often or sometimes get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet, including 56% who say they do so often. This is more than the 49% who said they often got news from digital devices in 2022 and the 51% of those who said the same in 2021.
Importantly, the portion that gets news from digital devices continues to outpace those who get news from television. The portion of Americans who often get news from television has stayed fairly consistent, at 31% in 2022 and 32% in 2023. And, Americans turn to radio and print publications for news far less frequently than to digital devices and television.
• Americans are roughly twice as likely to say they prefer getting news on digital devices (58%) as television (27%).
• Among digital pathways to news, Americans’ most preferred way to get news is through
news websites or apps (25% prefer to get news this way), followed by search engines
(15%), social media (12%) and podcasts (6%).
• Half of Americans at least sometimes get news from social media. Facebook and
YouTube stand out as the sites where the largest shares of Americans say they regularly
get news (30% and 26%, respectively).
• Looking only at the users of each social media site, some stand out in terms of the
portion who turn there for news. For example, roughly half of users on X (53%) get news
there. On the other hand, only 17% of LinkedIn users regularly get news on that site.
