SOCIAL MEDIA AS

AN EMERGING
NEWS SOURCE
A COMMUNICATION SENIOR THESIS BY LOTTIE BROOKS
 1.
Introduction
The growth of social media may
not inhibit, but rather encourage,
growth of news awareness

• Changing news sources

• How online news spreads
• Creating personal news
• Offline responses to online news
 2.
Sources for News
3.8 news sources

57% TV
Social media leads
younger demographics
The Cause of Concerns

▣ Data shows that millennials are not visiting

news sites, reading print newspapers, or
watching TV news in mass quantities (“How
Millennials Get News”, 2015)

▣ 7% decrease in newspaper consumption

(Mitchell et al., 2016)

▣ 5% of millennials get print news, compared

to almost half of over 65 (Mitchell et al.,
2016)

▣
https://www.simplilearn.com/real-impact-social-media-article

70% of millennials use mobile devices for

digital use, 16% of those over 65 (Mitchell et
al., 2016)
Adults who often get their news from TV

85% 72% 27%

65 and older Ages 50 - 64 Ages 18-29

(“How Americans Get Their News”, 2014).

(Dunn, 2017)
Millennial News Interaction

• 69% get news once a day

• 45% regularly follow five or more

“hard news” topics

• 85% important to keep up

(“How Millennials Get News”, 2015).

 Social Media Sites Ranked by News Value

Users 64% 50% 16% 3%

% of users who
view news 50% 20% 50% 62%
Millennials 88% 83% 33%
 3.
Citizen Journalism
and the Social
Spread of News
 News Decisions
• Search engines to decide credibility
• “Millennials don’t just see themselves as news
consumers, but also as newsmakers or citizen
journalists” (Circonciso, 2016)
• 46% have participated
• 14% have posted original content

(Anderson & Caumont, 2014).

Shared More Frequently

• More positive, more informational, more

trustworthy, or more controversial (Kümpel et al.,
2015).

• News organizations; 63% even on Twitter or

Facebook

• News organization’s mission (53% of adults,

millennial motivation is different)

• Online familiarity requires unique presentation

 4.
Personalized
News Streams
Cause for Concern
▣ Confirmation bias
□ Liberal: CNN, PBS, BBC
□ Conservative: Fox
■ (Mitchell et al., 2014).
 83% never or occasionally
avoid opposing opinions

70% say their feeds are

an even mix of opinions

73% follow up on different

opinions at least sometimes
 5.
The Offline Effects
of Social News
Effects of Social Media News

• News organizations are adapting

• “Common meaning of news is changing”

(Wadbring & Ödmark, 2016).

• Blurred line between watching and reading

news

• 1/3 had been to an event they heard about

on social media

• Free access for unheard demographics

 “When millennials look for news they do so
actively or purposefully. In addition to
informing themselves about issues, they

‘’
share information among their networks,
prompt petitions, and look for ways to solve
problems. They have changed the way we
solve issues but not just by relying on big
institutions. The rise of digital and crowd
funding platforms – digital activism – is
changing society, helping to mobilize
thousands of supporters to a diverse range
of causes.”
(Circonciso, 2016).
 6.
Conclusion
 The shift is far
from over
Future research: longitudinal social effect, or
diversity of social media over time
 Thesis Sources:
• Slides courtesy of slide carnival
• Anderson, M., & Caumont, A. (2014, September 24). How social media is reshaping news. Retrieved March 03, 2018, from
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/09/24/how-social-media-is-reshaping-news/
• Bandari, R., Assur, S., & Huberman, B. A. (2012, February 02). The Pulse of News in Social Media: Forecasting Popularity. Retrieved
February 27, 2018, from https://arxiv.org/abs/1202.0332
• Circonciso, D. (2016, November 18). Millennials and the Changing Landscape of News Consumption. Retrieved March 07, 2018,
from http://ufsocial.jou.ufl.edu/2016/11/millenials-and-the-changing-landscape-of-news-consumption/
• Dunn, J. (2017, June 26). The difference between how millennials and baby boomers consume news, in one chart. Retrieved
March 03, 2018, from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-millennials-vs-baby-boomers-get-news-chart-2017-6
• Hermida, A., Fletcher, F., Logan, D., & Kordell, D. (2012). SHARE, LIKE, RECOMMEND: Decoding the social media news consumer
[Abstract]. Journalism Studies,13(5-6), 815-824. Retrieved March 7, 2018, from http://www.tandfonline.com
• How Millennials Get News. (2015, March 16). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from
https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey-research/millennials-news/
• How Americans Get Their News. (2014, March 16). Retrieved April 14, 2018, from
https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey-research/how-americans-get-news/
• Irvine, M. (2016, October 25). Survey: Young adults do consume news, in their own way. Retrieved February 27, 2018, from
https://www.ap.org/ap-in-the-news/2015/survey-young-adults-do-consume-news-in-their-own-way
• Kümpel, A. S., Karnowski, V., & Keyling, T. (2015). News Sharing in Social Media: A Review of Current Research on News Sharing
Users, Content, and Networks. Social Media Society,1(2), 205630511561014. doi:10.1177/2056305115610141
• Mitchell, A., Gottfried, J., Barthel, M., & Shearer, E. (2016, July 07). 1. Pathways to news. Retrieved April 14, 2018, from
http://www.journalism.org/2016/07/07/pathways-to-News/
• Mitchell, A., Gottfried, J., Kiley, J., & Matsa, K. E. (2014, October 21). Section 1: Media Sources: Distinct Favorites Emerge on the Left
and Right. Retrieved April 15, 2018, from http://www.journalism.org/2014/10/21/section-1-media-sources-distinct-favorites-emerge-
on-the-left-and-right/
• Paying for news: Why people subscribe and what it says about the future of journalism. (2017,
• May 25). Retrieved April 16, 2018, from https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey-research/paying-for-
news/single-page/
• Stassen, W. (2011). Your news in 140 characters: exploring the role of social media in journalism. Global Media Journal African
Edition,4(1), 116-131. doi:10.5789/4-1-15
• Sharma, A. (2017, January 10). Why Twitter Is Still The Best Place For Breaking News Despite Its Many Challenges. Retrieved April 15,
2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/01/10/why-twitter-is-still-the-best-place-for-breaking-news-despite-its-many-
challenges/#55c9220726ab
• Wadbring, I., & Ödmark, S. (2016, December). Going Viral: News Sharing and Shared News in Social Media. Retrieved February 25,
2018, from http://www.scielo.mec.pt/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1646-59542016000500008
• Zúñiga, H. G., Jung, N., & Valenzuela, S. (2012). Social Media Use for News and Individuals Social Capital, Civic Engagement and
Political Participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication,17(3), 319-336. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2012.01574.x
Thanks!
Any questions?