Information consumption patterns are changing, to the delight of TikTok.
According to a report, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are now the preferred mode of news consumption for British teenagers.
The winning trio
The report in question is that of Ofcom, the British media regulator. Titled ‘News Consumption in the UK 2021/22’, it reveals that, for the first time, Instagram is becoming the most popular news source for teenagers. It is used by 29% of them. TikTok and YouTube, used by 28% of teenagers to follow the news, obtain the other two places on the podium. For its part, Facebook’s popularity has declined, from 34% in 2018 to 27% last year, and 22% today.
Historically, BBC One and BBC Two held the title of most popular news sources for teenagers. In 2022, 24% of teenagers say they use these channels to follow the news, compared to 45% five years ago. This is how BBC One and BBC Two find themselves in fifth position in the ranking, behind the ITV news group.
And the adults?
Among older age groups, TikTok is also having an effect. Between 2020 and 2022, the platform saw the largest increase in usage of any news source. In figures, in 2020, 0.8 million British adults said they used it to follow the news, compared to 3.9 million in 2022. For comparison, this is as much as for the website and the application from Sky News. But, for these older people, BBC One is still the favorite source of information.
By contrast, news following on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC News channel, ITV and Sky News is now well below pre-pandemic levels. “Which marks the resumption of a long-term decline in viewing to traditional television news”analyse Variety. The report nevertheless recalls that, even in decline, television news remains, for the moment, the most reliable source of information for British adults.
Some nuances
Note that in the report, those who claim to follow the news on TikTok also claim to get about a quarter of their information from news organizations on the platform. Besides, the BBC, ITV and Sky News all have news channels on the social network. It would therefore rather be a question of an evolution in the choice of transmission and distribution channels, rather than a change in the sources of information in the proper sense.
Another nuance, among the teenagers questioned, half of the users of YouTube and Twitter consider that these platforms provide trustworthy reports. Which is not the case with TikTok. Despite its popularity, only 30% of young people trust the platform’s content.
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