In this modern age, the digital world has taken over all forms of media, especially the news. Instead of tuning in for the evening news, people will scroll on TikTok or Instagram to find out whatever they will find about pop-culture, politics, and anything else that comes across their FYP (for you page). These algorithms, differing from a television program or your local and national news, provide you with videos or posts that they believe you will find interesting. This method of content consumption has actively overwhelmed people with an influx of information and ideas, and after a certain amount of time people become more disinterested in repeated topics.
News headlines and topics of discussion can absolutely become stale after constantly hearing them, especially if you weren’t previously interested. These algorithms help develop this feeling, which in turn contributes to people doing less research for development of their thoughts and opinions. This is a problem in my eyes. Becoming too lenient with what you believe and consume can lead down a dark path of misinformation. This phenomenon has become more prevalent in America in recent years, and I believe it’s vital to talk about it now than any later.
Surveys from the Pew Research Center, Reuters Institute, and the University of Oxford show a clear, and gradual decline in how closely Americans tune into the news. Back in August of 2025, only 36% of U.S. adults said they follow the news “all or most of the time.” This was a significant drop from the 51% of adults that did in 2016. This trend is not just an age issue, and it doesn’t discriminate between teenagers, young adults, and adults. For example, only 15% of adults under 30 say they follow the news either all or most of the time, and according to an AP News study, 84% of teens report describing the news today as “biased,” “crazy,” “boring,” “scary,” and more. The headlines that are created for the most clicks, likes, and interaction don’t often provide clarity, only fear. These reports don’t provide clear, unbiased information that the public can form their own opinions on.
Across social media platforms, there’s a consistent occurrence that emerges where users show an initial spike in initial interest when major events occur sharing a headline, tweet, or trending hashtag. But within days or weeks, attention often drops sharply even if the event is ongoing or evolving. For this claim, I utilized Google Trends to search for some key words that are big topics of discussion today. Some of these key words were “Gaza,” “Brown University,” “Artificial Intelligence,” and more. The initial spikes of searches showcased the immediate popularity of them all. However, the steep decline of the graph line shows the lack of research and enrichment on the topics that plague the news. Widespread knowledge and access to this information overloads people’s minds, and some events are forgotten. Any meaning that was once had with the news is lost in translation by those who only briefly interact with.
People who don’t care about having the time won’t give their time to news now, that’s just the reality of the situation. Around 40% of responses stated that they avoid the news occasionally or frequently, a sharp increase from a 2017 study. This is especially true among U.S. audiences. According to recent ideas, social media has overtaken traditional TV as the primary news source for many Americans. This article from The Guardian states that in 2025 platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok often deliver news by short clips or algorithmic feeds rather than full articles or comprehensive reporting. This shift fundamentally changes how individuals react to the news for many consumers, especially younger audiences–the news is not just the news anymore, it’s just another post in the algorithm.
The modern-day news format is fragmented, spread across thousands of countless parts of the internet. News has become saturated across all media, and it can’t get the point and facts across like it once attempted to. People distrust the news system because of bias, fear-mongering headlines, and more. With the internet, anyone can share their opinion and voice their own concerns on the news. The ideal for people to speak their minds freely is important and integral. However, depending on who the source of the information is, people can blindly take their words as gospel. Misinformation, fallacies, and lies have always been prevalent in media, and now that media is more accessible than ever, so are they.
To address this challenge, I think it’s vital for people to rethink how they consume their news. Instead of finding it on an extremely accessible, but possibly untrustworthy applications, it’s important to take that skepticism and do something about it. By researching, you expand your perception of the world and understanding on how information is provided. I believe that research would ease any worry and instead create educated concerns. This makes people more involved, and if they have any concerns, they’re now doing something to help alleviate them. They’re putting themselves in situations where they can actually help.
Despite the negatives of news that I’ve talked about on social media today, there is some good in it. For example, I’ve seen videos of people who have entire accounts dedicated to raising money and awareness for specific causes. I don’t expect everyone to do this; however, you can always support it. If more people took a little bit more action every day, we would see a more positive future around news consumption.
