A new study says young people, like you, are more likely to be incidentally exposed to news via Facebook than actually watching a newscast or reading a newspaper.
In particular, younger adults, who as a group are less engaged than their elders are with news on other platforms, are as engaged, if not more so, with news on Facebook. Young people (18- to 29– year-olds) account for about a third, 34%, of Facebook news consumers. That far outpaces the 20% that they account for among Facebook users who do not get news on the site.
What’s more, these 18- to 29-year-olds get news on Facebook across topics at roughly the same levels as older age groups, turn there as often for breaking news and deem the site as important a source of news.
Your thoughts?
http://www.journalism.org/2013/10/24/the-role-of-news-on-facebook/
I'm not so sure I agree with the findings in this study regarding getting breaking news from Facebook. Granted, I stopped using Facebook two years ago so maybe it has changed since I last perused it, but I somehow doubt that. At least when I was on it, I never really saw any of my friends break news or talk about current events; my feed was just usually cluttered with pictures of my friends getting hammered from the previous weekend and of course the inspirational quotes and song lyrics posted mainly by the girls (ladies in the class you know this is true).
ReplyDeleteIf this study found that Twitter was the source for how young people are getting their news, then I would agree with those findings as that is where I obtain most of my news. But I also still find out current events from browsing the internet as well. But I'm not sure I'm on board with Facebook being a legitimate breaking news outlet...
I usually just hide the people who post quotes and song lyrics from my news feed - total life saver. I would say it depends on how news-friendly people's friend groups are, and how interested they are in current events. In a year that has seen the Trayvon Martin case, the re-election of Barack Obama and the government almost dissolve into bankruptcy, many people have personal reactions that they want to share with others, and Facebook is an avenue for them to engage in dialogue. Twitter, in comparison, is more fitted for the breaking news type of posts.
ReplyDeleteThe findings of this study do not surprise me at all. The quality of Facebook as a news source largely depends on what people have in their news feeds. Personally, I am friends with a large number of Jewish people who take an interest in news about Israel and the American Jewish community, so I see a lot of news about those topics in my news feed. However, another person with a different group of friends would likely never see these posts.
ReplyDeleteIt is also important to consider that Maryland's journalism students are not average young adults in terms of news consumption habits. Based purely on observing the news consumption of my roommates, who are all science majors with no major political or news interests, this study seems plausible. They don't seek out news through any traditional news sites, which means that they only see news through other means, typically Facebook. This trend also means that they see a lot about Lou Reed dying or the Terps losing, for example, but very little about the continuing conflict in Egypt. Even if people are getting news on a variety of topics, as the study found, it seems doubtful that they are getting the same amount and quality of information across the board.
I wouldn't say Facebook is the most important way I personally get news but I could understand how more young people would be more prone to getting their news from Facebook than older people. I don't think the majority of people on Facebook get their news from news outlets they "like" on the site. Instead, I think most people get their news by reading their friend's posts, which isn't exactly real news. I believe a lot more people are reading their friend's opinions and forming poorly based attitudes on a range of subjects. I agree with the article's statement, "News outlets rank low in the reasons Facebook news consumers click on news links." I just simply think that the majority of people and younger people choose not to get their news from credible news outlets and many of them hear or see news by happenstance online or in the real world.
ReplyDeleteI can see people of an even younger generation than myself getting news primarily from Facebook. I am probably biased however because I regularly look online for news; places like the Washington Post and New York Times. I rarely, if ever, get any news from Facebook. Most of the link I click on posted by other friends on Facebook take me to BuzzFeed or a YouTube video that is usually funny.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Scott when he pointed out that if this finding was about Twitter I'd agree completely. I think Twitter does a better job (whether or not it wanted to) of being able to get news out to the people who use it.
As some of my classmates have commented, it is not very surprising that young people have a tendency to get their news on Facebook. As Facebook has evolved over the years, it has become more of a news source, as people are constantly "sharing" stories. Even if an individual regularly watches or reads the news from other sources, he or she could often find certain stories on Facebook first because it is updated so frequently. While I get most of my news from The Washington Post and The New York Times, I am not constantly on those sites during the day. I check my Facebook more often, so I often discover recent news on it. Nonetheless, much of the news I get on Facebook is from BuzzFeed or other humorous websites, as Jess said. I would say that Twitter is much more effective in disseminating hard news.
ReplyDeleteI agree that these findings are not surprising at all, though I am a little surprised it was Facebook and not Twitter. I'm sure there have been studies done about breaking news on Twitter as well. I don't usually receive big breaking news updates from Facebook. However, I do find out more about local news that way, and then continue my research about said news elsewhere. As a journalism student, I do believe I am a bit biased as I compulsively check online news sources, if not to be aware, just to get good grades on news quizzes (sad, but sometimes true). As other people had said, getting news on Facebook really depends on your friend group, and mine fills my newsfeed with YouTube videos and BuzzFeed articles of the top 10 cutest cats. On social media like Twitter, I can follow more reliable sources (no offense to my Facebook friends).
ReplyDeleteI agree that these findings are not surprising at all, though I am a little surprised it was Facebook and not Twitter. I'm sure there have been studies done about breaking news on Twitter as well. I don't usually receive big breaking news updates from Facebook. However, I do find out more about local news that way, and then continue my research about said news elsewhere. As a journalism student, I do believe I am a bit biased as I compulsively check online news sources, if not to be aware, just to get good grades on news quizzes (sad, but sometimes true). As other people had said, getting news on Facebook really depends on your friend group, and mine fills my newsfeed with YouTube videos and BuzzFeed articles of the top 10 cutest cats. On social media like Twitter, I can follow more reliable sources (no offense to my Facebook friends).
ReplyDeleteI'm not particularly surprised by this; it seems like every fifth post on my Facebook feed is something news-related, though it's often got a specific slant or is presented in Buzzfeed-style list format, which is why I try to avoid getting my news that way. I'm a little surprised that Twitter isn't the main source of news for social media purposes. It makes sense, given the character limit on Twitter that doesn't apply to Facebook posts, but this generation like short, punchy headlines, which are easier to come across on Twitter. It's how I get most of my news, though I follow actual news sources to get it, and I would imagine a good amount of my generation does too.
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