Where are you getting your news updates from during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Increasingly, people are relying on social media platforms to help keep them informed on the latest – which can be both beneficial and problematic in equal measure.
Social media usage has ramped up significantly during the lockdowns, with Facebook reporting “unprecedented increase in the consumption of news articles” specifically. Overall US traffic from Facebook to other websites has also risen by more than 50%, as people seek updates and insights. Given that people are spending more time on social anyway, and it’s updated in real-time, there’s clear benefit to getting news via social apps. But then again…
Social platforms have also been working hard to halt the flow of COVID-19 misinformation, with their massive reach providing an ample lure for websites trying to extract as many clicks as possible via unfounded rumors and speculative reports.
So while social platforms are keeping us informed, they’re also keeping many misinformed too – but which platforms are people getting the majority of their news content from, and what impact is that having on their mental health as a result?
That’s the focus of this new study from Flixed, which incorporates responses from over 1,000 people. The data shows that Facebook is the clear leader in news distribution, while Reddit has increasingly made people feel worse about the situation.
You can read Flixed’s full report here, or check out the infographic below.
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