America’s News Influencers
This study explores the makeup of the social media news influencer universe, including who they are, what content they create and who their audiences are.
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This study explores the makeup of the social media news influencer universe, including who they are, what content they create and who their audiences are.
Today, 37% of all U.S. adults say they have a lot of or some trust in the information that comes from social media sites.
American TikTok users follow far more pop culture and entertainment accounts than news and politics ones.
The share of adults who say they regularly get news from TikTok has grown about fivefold since 2020, from 3% to 17% in 2024.
Social media plays a crucial role in Americans’ news consumption, with about one-third of adults saying they regularly get news on Facebook and YouTube.
TikTok users under 30 see its impact on democracy more positively than older users, with 45% of this group saying it’s mostly good for American democracy.
X is still more of a news destination than these other platforms, but the vast majority of users on all four see news-related content.
Four-in-ten Americans who get news from social media say inaccuracy is the thing they dislike most about it – an increase of 9 percentage points since 2018.
Around seven-in-ten U.S. adults (68%) say they ever use Facebook, a share that has remained relatively flat since 2016.
A declining share of U.S. adults are following the news closely, and audiences are shrinking for several older types of news media.
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