Influential people are becoming the preferred news source for people under 30.

The fact that social media has revolutionized access to information is not new. However, recently it has been noticed that influencers are becoming increasingly popular because adult news source; especially those between 18 and 29 years old.

According to the Pew Research Center, 21% of American adults use social media influencers as a common way to obtain information.. This means that just over 1 in 5 people over 18 years of age consume news through people, whether journalists or not, who post content about current events via X (Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and/or YouTube.

This comes from a survey the aforementioned organization conducted among more than 10,600 adults, as well as analysis conducted by more than 500 influencers who post news on personal accounts with more than 100,000 followers. The study focused on information content creators who publish individually, rather than traditional media outlets (print, digital, television, etc.) that replicate content on social media.

A startling fact is that while 21% of American adults choose social media influencers as their primary source of news, in some segments the percentage is even higher. The most notable case is that of people aged 18 to 29 years, since 37% of them are reported using this tool. Meanwhile, between the ages of 30 and 49 they are also above average and reach 26%.

As expected, the groups least likely to use social media content creators to get information about current events are people aged 50 to 64 (15%) and people aged 65 and older (7%).

But what really stands out is that almost 4 in 10 adults under 30 People in the United States regularly consume news that influencers post on their personal accounts. According to the study, this is because young people consider influencers’ posts They are easier to understand and offer a perspective that may be unique or different. compared to traditional media.

X (Twitter) is the platform of choice for news influencers.

A Pew Research Center study shows that X (Twitter) this is definitely a platform the most chosen news influencers. 85% of them use the social network owned by Elon Musk, with Instagram in second place with 50%. This is followed by YouTube (44%), Facebook (32%), Threads (30%) and TikTok (27%).

According to statistics, two thirds of the influencers analyzed publish on more than one platform, and 27% claim to be present on five or more sites at the same time. It is even mentioned that podcasts and newsletters are additional tools for these content creators, accounting for 34% and 22% respectively.

It also highlights that 77% of influencers do not have or have not had a media connection. So almost 8 out of 10 content creators I have not previously worked in the press about current events.

Regarding social media presence, the study highlights that 63% of news influencers are men. This trend is repeated across all platforms, although on TikTok the gap between men and women is smaller (50% vs. 45%).

If we focus on political ideology, 52% of content creators usually express it explicitly. According to experts, 27% lean to the rightwhile 21% are left-wing and 3% identify with other sectors. The remaining 48%, meanwhile, do not demonstrate a specific affiliation.

In this sense, TikTok is the only platform where clearly left-leaning news influencers outnumber right-leaning ones (28% vs. 25%). In the rest of the most popular social networks, creators of right-wing news content enjoy an advantage.

It’s worth noting that Pew Research Center’s analysis focuses on the distribution and reach of information content through influencers, rather than its quality. Therefore, the impact this may have is not specified. disinformation and fake news on sites such as X (Twitter), where the topic has repeatedly generated debate and controversy.