How many people use social media for news in 2023?

Social media is a platform of many hats. Over the years, it had evolved into more than just a real-time communication channel but also a ground for efficient information sharing. 

Today, many leading news sites around the world continuously increase their presence across social media sites.

This is after realizing the growing patronage for online news consumption among the general population. 

In this article, you find out how many people use social media for news in 2023 and which sites have the biggest user trust in facilitating this activity.

How Many People Use Social Media for News in 2023?

Nearly 60% of the world’s total population has at least one social media account. Each spends an average of 2 hours 24 minutes every day going through their feed.

This amount of time is divided into different activities namely browsing photos, watching videos, chatting with friends, and recently came a new activity of reading news.

Today, 48% of Americans say they get news from social media sites often.

This data alone shows that accessibility has a big influence on how many people use social media for news nowadays.

Social Media as a News Source per Country

Here are the top countries and the percentage of adults using social media to source news.

• Kenya – 76%
• South Africa – 75%
• Malaysia – 72%
• The Philippines – 72%
• Chile – 69%

Less than 40% of the respondents in Europe’s industrialized countries namely France, Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium use social media as a news source.

Social Media Platforms as News Sites for US Adults

Below is the list of popular social media platforms used by American adults to access news regularly.

The percentage of users against each site’s total market is also indicated.

• Facebook – 61% of American adults use Facebook, 31% of which source news from the site
• YouTube – 72% are on YouTube, 22% use it for news
• Twitter – 23% have Twitter accounts and 13% of this total use the platform to access news
• Instagram – 41% of all adults in the US are on Instagram, 11% use it to get news

Other relevant sites include Reddit, LinkedIn, TikTok, and WhatsApp.

Twitter for News

Despite the lesser likelihood of Twitter’s US users using it as a news generator, the microblogging site is considered a news-friendly site.

Results from a study conducted to find the correlation between news usage and Twitter space showed Twitter users are heavier news consumers versus users of other social networking sites. 

Information gathering through news is one of the primary activities with the highest engagements on the site, with 74% of active Twitter accounts utilizing it for news daily.

Coronavirus News and Instagram

Instagram is another platform taking off with its news market. Citizens aged 18 to 24 years old users across different countries relied on Instagram for coronavirus news in 2020.

• United Kingdom – 24%
• United States – 26%
• Germany – 38%
• Spain – 26%

Percentage of Men Using Social Media Sites for News

Here is the percentage of social media news consumers among the male population, clustered per platform:

• Facebook – 35%
• YouTube – 56%
• Twitter – 56%
• Instagram – 36%
• Reddit – 67%

From this data, male users on Reddit dominate the likelihood of using the site as a news source.

Percentage of Women Using Social Media Sites for News

Here is the percentage of social media news consumers among the female population, clustered per platform:

• Facebook – 64%
• YouTube – 43%
• Twitter – 43%
• Instagram – 63%
• Reddit – 31%

Women dominate both Facebook and Instagram for news access.

Political News Source for Millennials

Below are the top sites millennials rely on for political news, including their respective market shares in this age group:

• Facebook – 61%
• Local TV – 37%
• Google News – 33%
• CNN – 44%

This data shows that the majority of millennials use Facebook as their main source of political news.

The same pattern is evident among Generation X although at a lower rate of 51% for Facebook usage. 

On the contrary, local TV is the dominant player for the Baby Boomers, accounting for 60% of the total versus Facebook’s 39%.

Fake News Statistics

Credits: unsplash.com

The term “fake news” gained search traction during the US Presidential Elections in November 2016.

Today, fake news rapidly spreads along with easier access to information sharing.

Social networking sites have become breeding grounds for this false information which tarnishes their overall reputation as credible information sources. 

Facebook’s Fight Against Fake News

Facebook reported 1.8 billion fake news engagements during the third quarter of 2020 alone.

On the same year, the technology giant vowed to step up measures on greater false information censorship.

In Q2 2020, Facebook removed seven (7) million posts containing fake news, 22.5 million posts related to hate speech, and 8.7 million posts promoting extremism.

Social Media as a Least Trusted Information Source

According to Statista, social media is now the least trusted information source among all channels available worldwide. 

In 2020, only 35% of survey participants worldwide said they trust the information they see across social networking sites.

The rampant spread of false information Covid 19-related topics drove the data to a historic low level. It shed a full 5% compared to 2019’s 40% trust rate. 

Frequency of Fake News Encounter on US Adults

52% of American adults encounter fake news on social media platforms regularly. Meanwhile, 67% said they have encountered false information on these sites at least once. 

Media Trust Worldwide

Despite the rapid spread of fake news on social and mainstream media channels, many countries still believe in the credibility of news they see online.

Here are the top countries with the highest media trust worldwide and their trust rates:

• Finland – 56%
• Portugal – 56%
• The Netherlands – 52%

Conclusion

Millions of people today rely on social media networks for their daily news needs.

On the other hand, the spread of fake news catches fast and diminishes user trust on social networking sites as credible news sources.

This article contains all the relevant information related to how many people use social media for news in 2023.

Always remember to fact-check the information you see on these sites before sharing.

Sources