Young people turn to social media for news as concerns grow around misinformation

The tendency to rely on social media coincides with a growing worry about misinformation and disinformation. Picture: Pexels

Almost 40% of young people in Ireland consider social media their most important source of news, according to a new report.

For 18 to 24-year-olds, radio and printed newspapers are the least popular outlets for getting the latest news while 18% favour television.

The tendency to rely on social media coincides with a growing worry about misinformation and disinformation.

The Digital News Report Ireland which was published by Coimisiún na Meán found that 64% of Irish people are concerned about what is real and what is fake on the internet.

This figure is up 6% on last year and compares with 50% in the rest of Europe.

Despite this, 47% of respondents said they either 'strongly agree' or 'tend to agree' that they can trust most of the news most of the time.

Coimisiún na Meán Broadcasting Commissioner, Celene Craig said the worry around what is real and what is not may be prompted by the rise in the use of artificial intelligence which presents a challenge in ensuring transparency and accuracy in news production.

A quarter of Irish people believe that it is better to have a human editor/journalist select or curate what they consume.

While three in 10 people believe it is better to see news chosen by an algorithm based on their history and preferences, more than half agree that personalised news can cause them to miss important stories.

Around 50% are concerned about only encountering those viewpoints that accord with their own.

Interest in news continues to fall across the board but especially among the younger demographic with just 28% of those aged 18-24 saying they are very/extremely interested.

In contrast, some 69% of over 65s indicated a strong interest in news.

Lead researcher Reuters Digital News Report Ireland and Professor at DCU, Colleen Murrell said that while some of the changes in how Ireland is engaging with the news have been happening steadily over time, this year's report provides a fascinating insight into audiences.

"How we access and engage with news in Ireland is constantly evolving," Prof Murrell said.

"Factors, such as the covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, fragmenting online audiences and platform disruption are now speeding up some of these changes."

Research for the Digital News Report is undertaken by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and is the largest ongoing comparative study of news consumption in the world.

The Irish data forms part of the larger survey, conducted in 46 countries.