More internet users are seeing news via social media feeds such as Twitter and Facebook than on news websites, according to new data.
The study, from Global Web Index, indicates that across 25 named online news publishers tracked in our survey, 44% of internet users say they have seen their stories or videos via social media in the last month, putting this medium ahead of the publishers’ own websites and apps, on 37%.
What’s also key here is that social media platforms like Facebook have put steps in place to render ad-blockers ineffective, something which the publishers themselves find it difficult to do on their own properties without restricting access.
Further down the list, curated news aggregators are attracting a significant number of consumers despite having been around for a comparatively much shorter period of time. These apps allow users to target a variety of interests across multiple sources,making them a particular hit among younger cohorts.