In a revelation that’s shaking up the media landscape, the World Economic Forum’s latest Global Risks Report exposes a dramatic shift in how people worldwide consume news. Forget the evening news on TV or the morning paper—2025 is the year social media and video platforms officially dethroned traditional news sources.
The Digital News Revolution
According to the Forum’s 2025 Digital News Report, compiled from data across 48 markets and six continents,
TV, print, and even news websites are rapidly losing ground. The numbers are staggering: in the United States, the share of people who say social media is their main news source has skyrocketed from just
4% in 2015 to a whopping
34% in 2025. For the first time, more Americans now get their news from social media and video networks than from TV or news websites.
This isn’t just an American phenomenon. Across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, the trend is clear—
social media is becoming the go-to source for news, especially among younger generations. In the UK and France, about
20% of people now rely primarily on social media for news, up from less than
10% a decade ago.
Why the Shift? Trust, Engagement, and the Power of Video
Traditional news outlets are struggling with
declining engagement, low trust, and stagnant subscriptions. Meanwhile, social media and video platforms offer immediacy, personalization, and a sense of community that legacy media can’t match.
Younger audiences are leading the charge. The report finds that
44% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 38% of 25- to 34-year-olds now say social media and video networks are their main news sources. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are not just for entertainment—they’re where breaking news, political debates, and global events unfold in real time.
The Dark Side: Misinformation and AI-Generated Content
But this digital revolution isn’t without risks. The Forum’s Global Risks Report warns that the
rise of AI-generated content and the sheer volume of information online are fueling concerns about misinformation. In fact, misinformation is now considered the top short-term risk facing global audiences.
With algorithms prioritizing engagement over accuracy, and deepfakes blurring the line between real and fake, audiences are left questioning what’s true and what’s not. The challenge for both consumers and news organizations is to adapt quickly—developing new tools for verification and media literacy.
What This Means for the Future of News
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Traditional news outlets must innovate or risk irrelevance. Expect more legacy brands to double down on digital, video, and social-first strategies.
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Media literacy is more important than ever. As AI-generated content proliferates, audiences need new skills to spot misinformation.
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Social media platforms face mounting pressure to address the spread of fake news and improve transparency around algorithms.
The way we consume news has changed forever. The question now is whether our institutions—and our own habits—can keep up.
Sources
1. Battleground NYC full episode #56: Oct 15, 2025 - YouTube
2. Guide for reading magazines, current news, commentary, and opinion
3. Forum Forward – October 9, 2025 | United Philanthropy Forum
4. This is how people in 2025 are getting their news
5. Tinto Flavour #42 - 10th of October 2025 - Austria - Paradox Forum
6. Today's Front Pages: World News Headlines - Freedom Forum
7. Leanings of Magazines, Newspapers, Journals - Detecting Bias
8. Web Filter - URL blocked, even though category is not
9. List of fake news websites - Wikipedia
10. JournalismJobs.com: The Job Board for Media Professionals
