Many people often ridicule “Generation Y” for being less informed, but a recent study found that millennials are more concerned with daily news than previously believed.
The media climate is without a doubt changing: Sixty-nine percent of young adults get their news daily off of a social media site, while 40 percent check social media multiple times through out the day for their news, according to data gathered by the American Press Institute.
While young adults have traded in print newspapers for smart phones, those between the ages of 18-34 still stay informed on current events as they scroll through their Twitter feed, check Instagram and view Snapchat.
Nikki Graham, a freshman international business major at the U of M, said she often reads the news on her phone as she is heading into class or going to work.
“I get my news from Facebook, Yahoo and sometimes Twitter, because using my phone is so much easier than turning on the TV or picking up a newspaper,” Graham said.
Additionally, the study found that social networking exposes young adults to news they might not be interested in because it is so easily shared on social media.
Social media has many benefits for how not just millennials, but people of all ages get their news, according to Matthew Haught, an assistant professor at the University of Memphis who has also worked in print media for six years.
“Social media lets news outlets have a two way dialogue with their readers and that is very useful for a generation that puts a heavy emphases on customization in every aspect of their lives,” Haught said. “It also allows the audience to be able to engage in their news instead of just reading or watching it.”
Haught said that social media is growing with everyday technological advancements, and that gathering news in this fashion is a trend that is more than likely here to stay.
“This isn’t going away and anyone who tells you it is going away probably doesn’t own a TV or a radio — this is here to stay its going to get bigger,” Haught said. “There is not going to be some magical switch where millennials will tune into the 6 o’clock news or pick up a copy of the New York Times.”
As momentum continues, legacy outlets are starting to utilize social media to try and cater to their audiences, Haught said.
“They are able to read and react and share their opinion and that’s the purpose of a free press,” Haught said. “Social media provides the widest option for the people to engage in the democratic discussion.”
Joseph Hayden, an associate journalism professor at the University, said the positives outweigh the negatives of social media being used as a news source.
“One thing that social media has done to news media is it has broken up media products making them more portable and more bite sized to read,” Hayden said. “You can find that article online and don’t have to buy a copy of the New York Times or the Commercial Appeal, you don’t have to watch the news to see a hot video that is trending.”
