Facebook message usage falls, WhatsApp rises Study

Technology-enabled social media is a highly dynamic world, with users migrating from one platform to another at a moment’s notice. A recent study shows that more and more users are switching from the main app of Facebook Inc. (FB), the world’s largest social media platform, to instant messaging applications like Facebook-owned WhatsApp to consume news content .

With growing concerns about the spread of fake news online, people’s trust in social media platforms to access news content seems to be declining. The study, compiled by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which surveyed 74,000 people in 37 countries across five continents, shows that the use of social media for news in the US has fallen by 6 percentage points year-on-year, according to Geo. News. Another dip in user rankings shows that Facebook has lost more ground among younger audiences, with Facebook usage for younger audiences down 20 percentage points year-on-year. (Also see: Facebook Declares Total War On Fake News.)

“Almost all of the decline is due to a decline in news discovery, posting and sharing on Facebook,” said lead author Nic Newman, a research fellow at the Reuters Institute.

Listening to WhatsApp, Instagram

As the news industry continues to face issues of authenticity and legitimacy with the increasing use of internet-connected devices that deliver news through numerous apps and online platforms, various mediums through which the end user accesses and consumes news have emerged . High turnarounds and switches are observed in consumer preferences for news consumption.

The report also found that about 50% of respondents in countries like Malaysia (54%) and Brazil (48%) use WhatsApp to access messages, and about a third in Spain (36%) and Turkey (30%). ). Another social media platform, Facebook-owned Instagram, also saw increased adoption in Asia and South America, while Snap Inc.’s (SNAP) Snapchat made strides in Europe and the US (see also: Top Companies owned by Facebook).

Another interesting finding from the study shows that 54% of users expressed concerns about fake news, a major bone of contention in the online world. A majority of respondents believed that news publishers and platforms have a responsibility to address the issue of fake news, and there was a general global consensus that governments should also have a responsibility and do more to combat the threat .

While Facebook and microblogging site Twitter Inc. (TWTR) remain popular with global users for discovering news, users appear to be more comfortable discussing developments in messaging apps, according to the study. A possible reason for the switch is the nature of closed private groups and known contacts that messaging apps offer, which better increases the trust factor among the connected users compared to the open and global sharing on Facebook.

The study was conducted before Facebook adjusted the filters on its news feed feature in January, as the company faced criticism for mishandling low-priority news.

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