According to Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report, social media has overtaken television as the primary news source for U.S. adults (via NiemanLab). This phenomenon is most pronounced among younger demographics.
For the first time ever, 54% of Americans say they get news from social media or video platforms, compared to 50% who rely on traditional TV broadcasts. Over half of Americans younger than 35 now turn to platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram for daily news consumption.
Leading the charge are news influencers—podcasters, creators, and personalities who have grown massive followings. Notable figures include Joe Rogan, who reached 22 percent of Americans immediately after the January inauguration, and Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, Brian Tyler Cohen, and David Pakman, all of whom command audiences that traditional news struggles to engage.
Digital platforms have also shifted politically. Since Elon Musk took over X (formerly Twitter), the share of right-leaning users rose by 50 %, while left-leaning users declined. Overall, platforms such as Facebook (36%), YouTube (30%), Instagram and WhatsApp (each around 20%), TikTok (16%), and X (12–23% depending on the survey) now serve as significant news hubs.
Alarmingly, over 70% of Americans express concern about their ability to distinguish fact from falsehood online. Misinformation remains a major worry; influencers, politicians, and platforms are consistently perceived as the top culprits. At the same time, roughly 40% of people across surveyed countries report actively avoiding the news—up from 29% in 2017 .
According to researcher Nic Newman, the “rise of social video and personality-driven news” poses distinct challenges for legacy media. Online videos may attract younger users, but they yield substantially less revenue and influence compared to content hosted on publisher-owned platforms.
Although publishers are responding by ramping up investments in YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, AI-augmented content, and chatbot integrations, their relationship with major platforms like X remains complicated.
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