Are you scrolling for headlines or flipping through pages? Tell us how you read the news

Trust in mainstream journalism is declining, and news consumption is changing among younger people. So, we’re curious: how do you stay informed? Do you read an old-fashioned newspaper, or do you get your information from CestMocro or News Daddy?

According to assistant professor Mijke Slot, the rise of social media consumption in the younger generations contributes to decreasing trust in mainstream news. But the rise of these platforms has also led to new methods to spread news, some bringing about a positive effect.

Mainstream platforms’ in-depth journalism is not always suitable for fast-paced social media. “It’s not easy to compete with the YouTubes, TikToks and Instagrams of this world”, said Slot.

There have been successful programs on social media, set up by mainstream media. Examples are NOSop3 in the Netherlands, or Al Jazeera English, amassing 6 million followers on TikTok.

But since viewers can also create content on these platforms, a new form of news sharing has emerged: users share mainstream media stories on their platforms in the form of posts or short videos with commentary. This system tends to resonate more with the younger audience than reading articles. CestMocro, a Dutch/Flemish news sharing platform has amassed 1.1 million followers on Instagram, more than NOSop3. Dylan Paige, aka ‘News Daddy’, has 15.6 million followers on TikTok who watch him share mainstream stories.

How do you get your news? Why do you get your news from there? Do you still read articles, or simply rely on social media? What channels do you watch, what apps do you use? Is there a specific time in the day you watch the news, or is it at any time?