Google Search Still Leads as News Source
With the introduction and rise of various social media platforms and search engines over the decades, how people obtain their news has shifted. However, according to a recent survey conducted by Morning Consult, Google Search is still the leading news discovery platform for adults in the U.S. Although Google still reigns supreme, news through social media has escalated, especially among younger generations.
Survey Findings
The survey by Morning Consult was conducted over three days in early February based on the responses of 2,199 adults across all generations, with an unweighted margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points. The survey organized its findings by generation. 48% percent of baby boomers, 47% of Gen Xers, 46% of Millenials, and 39% of Gen Z adults stated that they use Google as their platform when researching a significant news event.
The different generations favor different platforms as their primary news source. The rapid rise of TikTok has greatly impacted Gen Z, which 14% of the generation uses when they begin researching news. Despite this figure, only 2% of adults stated they find their news through TikTok, showing a sizable generational divide with the platform. Similarly, Millennials’ second-most common news source is another social media site, Facebook, which 14% of the population uses to research news. 11% of Gen Xers use YouTube for news discovery, making it the second-most common platform for that generation. 14% of Baby Boomers go straight to news publishers’ websites to explore current events. For adults overall, 4% use Twitter and 2% use Instagram as their primary news research platform.
The Rise of TikTok and Other News Sources
With TikTok rapidly becoming a go-to news source, we can expect more publishers to use TikTok for creating news content if the platform can overcome legal scrutiny. Additionally, Google may begin referring more traffic to the platform, and Google and Bing AI chats might drive traffic to trustworthy TikTok publishers in the future.
To learn more about how you can utilize Google’s top spot as a go-to news source and grow your presence online, reach out to BluShark Digital today. We can also help you keep up with the trends and leverage them for your business.