A recent survey in the UK has shown that an increasing number of people are finding out about the news from social media sites like FaceBook. It has been known for a while that people are favouring online news sources over the traditional newspaper, but this move to relying on social media for breaking news is new.
A study by the Insight, Consultancy & Delivery (iCD) research group looked at the habits of 1,000 people. It found that over half of them got their news from online websites like the BBC online, but it also found that 18.5% of people use social media as their primary source of news. This is an impressive increase on previous studies and seems to indicate a likely increase in the future. Now half a billion people have joined FaceBook, and it has become an important part of people’s online lives.
The idea of people getting their news form FaceBook sounds a bit odd to me – if I’m honest. There are an awful lot of misinformed people out there, and this would make it easier for them to spread their ignorance. You also get a lot of people with their own agendas who will use social media to push their causes. It is true that even media like the BBC is biased, but at least the journalists are required to supply facts and do have a code of conduct which they are expected to adhere to. People using social media sites like FaceBook can post whatever they like and a good proportion of people are likely to believe them. One of the most exciting things about the web was the possibility that it could widen our horizons, but maybe it will end up having the opposite effect – especially if we all start getting our news from FaceBook.
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