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Facebook news use declining, WhatsApp growing
Usage of Facebook, the world’s largest social network, for news is down 9 percentage points from 2017 in the US and down 20 points for younger audiences, according to the Rooters Institute survey of 74,000 people in 37 markets. "The use of social media for news has started to fall in a number of key markets after years of continuous growth," Nic Newman, research associate at the Rooters Institute for the Study of Journalism, said in the Digital News Report. "We continue to see a rise in the use of messaging apps for news as consumers look for more private [and less confrontational] spaces to communicate," Newman said. Facebook and Twitter are still used by many users to discover news but the discussion then takes place on messaging apps such as WhatsApp, often because people feel less vulnerable discussing events on such apps. "Social media is like wearing a mask," an unidentified UK female respondent from the 30-45 age group was quoted as saying. "When I am in my messaging groups with my friends, the mask comes off and I feel like I can truly be myself." Posted by: Fred 2018-06-16 |
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