The Double-Edged Sword of Social Media in Modern News Consumption
By Jack Todd
Since the birth of social media in 1997 with platforms like Sixdegrees.com, these digital spaces have transformed not only how we interact with each other but also how we consume information. Today, social media giants like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram have become the primary sources of news for millions worldwide. In fact, recent studies show that over half of the UK population now relies on social media for their latest news. While social media has undeniably increased the speed and accessibility of news, it has also given rise to a troubling increase in misinformation. This blog post explores the impact of social media on news consumption, weighing its benefits against the significant challenges it poses to the trustworthiness of what we read online.
Social media has existed for a while now, as far back as 1997, when Sixdegrees.com was first introduced. Since then, it’s evolved beyond what was initially meant for the platform overall, as we now have Facebook, X (formally known as Twitter), and Instagram dominating the platform and changing society as we know it. This blog looks into how social media has transformed news consumption and how it is now the most used platform for up-to-date information.
It's estimated that over half of the UK (52%) now consider social media platforms the primary source for fresh news stories. A report from Ofcom in late 2024 revealed that news online (71%) had overtaken television news (70%) for the first time, with radio (40%) and print releases (34%) suffering further decline. Social media and online platforms have not only inserted themselves into that market, but they have also dominated it.
The positives of social media for news consumption are there for all to see. An increased global reach and speed in breaking news have made news more accessible than ever. Lives updates can now be followed on social media platforms, and this has led to a massive increase in news consumption online, which can lead to individuals or organisations expanding their followings and improving their reputations if they exploit the market correctly if this leads to an increase in quality content.
However, the negatives of social media for news are also glaringly obvious and have potentially led to a lack of trust from the public. Statistics gathered by Loughborough University in 2019 showed that 42.8% of news spreaders shared inaccurate information. According to the Alan Turing Institute, in a May 2024 survey, 94% of people in the UK witnessed misinformation on social media platforms. This has led to the reputation of social media platforms being damaged and not trusted as much for live news reports and more questioning of what is real and what isn’t, which is incredibly damaging for the platform moving forward.
Overall, social media's impact is mixed, as there are positive and negative sides to the platform and depending on the individual, it can either boost or forever ruin your reputation. It has made the general public question what they’re reading more than ever, as almost anybody can make up content with or without facts to back it up, and anyone out there could believe what they’re reading is accurate. This has led to all news sources being impacted in some form, as even credible news outlets face an uphill task of fighting for the public's trust moving forward, which hasn’t been aided by the development of AI further compiling the fake news spread.
Because of this, I believe the impact of social media is hugely negative. Fake news is easier than ever to publish, and almost anyone can make a story up and release it to a large audience on some of the biggest platforms in the world on social media, such as Instagram and X. This, in my opinion, has hugely damaged news consumption and has me questioning everything I read.
