By Jillian Johnson
Is social media becoming your primary source of news? For me, it already has.
The Paris bombing. Prince’s passing. Finding out who the presidential nominees are. A child falling into a gorilla cage at the Cincinnati Zoo.
All of these events I learned about on social media as they were happening. Let’s face it – finding out about events on social media is becoming the norm.
According to a study by Oxford University, which included over 50,000 news consumers in 26 nations, 51% of online users use social media as a source of news each week, and an estimated 12% said that social media is their main source of news. The study revealed that of those surveyed, 44% use Facebook to discover, read, watch, share, or comment on news every week, and additionally use YouTube (19%) and Twitter (10%) to keep up with the news.
Despite speculation as to where news originally appears, it can’t be denied that social media plays a significant role in spreading news. And with the growing number of social media outlets, news is spreading faster than ever.
For a deeper look into social media as a main news source today, read Jillian’s POV: How Social Media Has Become a Primary Source of News.
