This is the big shift in information: people around the world are now getting their news more from Facebook, YouTube, or TikTok than from traditional media, whose business model is under threat, according to a key annual report published on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“2026 marks an important milestone: for the first time, social media and video platforms surpass other sources of information and become the primary way people get news worldwide,” writes Jim Egan, the lead author of the Reuters Institute report on journalism.Published every year by this institute affiliated with the British University of Oxford, this report on digital information is considered a key reference for analyzing media transformations. It relies on online surveys conducted at the beginning of the year by the company YouGov with nearly 100,000 people across 48 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, 54% of respondents said they used social networks and video platforms to get information in the week before the survey (and even 56% if you include AI chat agents like ChatGPT).This proportion drops to 52% for television, 51% for newspaper websites and apps, and 21% for radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falling revenues
This trend isn’t new, since in some countries individually, networks and platforms were already at the top in previous years. But this is the first time that this way of consuming news is the majority on average across all the markets studied (the countries where media sites and apps remain in the lead are almost all in Europe).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“You have to see it as a gradual evolution rather than a sudden change,” points out Jim Egan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Globally, social networks and video platforms are the main source of news for 3 out of 10 respondents, and even more than 1 out of 2 among 18-24-year-olds.Usage varies depending on the platform. Most respondents go on X and YouTube specifically to get information. But on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, this access to news happens more by chance, when users are on there for other reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only age groups for which TV is still the top choice are 45-54 and over 55.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And for traditional media websites and apps, the blow is even harsher: no age group cites them as their main source of information.All of this “has obvious consequences on the media’s ability” to reach audiences and make money, points out Mr. Egan, a former senior BBC executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is especially true since only 17% of those surveyed say they pay for online news, and a big chunk of the advertising market is grabbed by internet giants at the expense of traditional media.Loss of trust
Moreover, this 180-page report goes back over long-standing trends that have already been in place for several years: the rise of video formats, the growing influence of content creators dedicated to news (like HugoD\u00e9crypte in France), and the loss of trust in the media<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe way to respond to the rapid development of generative AI is the biggest challenge facing media leaders and policymakers,\u201d according to Mr. Egan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More broadly, he notes that the report’s indicators are marked by “increased volatility” this year, in a global context of geopolitical uncertainties: “Reading part of the 2026 report is unsettling, but we’re going through a particularly turbulent time, both for the news media sector and for the world in general.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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