Shan Serran’s Post

The latest report from Pew Research Center looks at how social media users are engaging with news content, with more X users interacting with news updates, but also seeing more misinformation and false reports. #SocialMedia

Here's the latest research from Thomson Reuters Institute Digital News report on social platforms. Findings show X is losing ground as a news source. Not sure these findings are all that surprising. What do you think? #socialmedia #socialmarketing #digitalmarketing dlvr.it/T8Q6Sx

News and social media, friend, foe, or part of the puzzle. Spoiler alert it's a bit of all! My heart swells when I see great journalism well written. I could scribble endless paragraphs on news and the UK's lively democracy, but I know you don't have the time. This article in the New York Times got me thinking more about how the user acquisition funnel works for our younger Gens, and what our newsbrands are doing about it from a user experience and data perspective. The latest ofcom report ( https://lnkd.in/e7DT-imz ) tells us largely what we already know. Only 9% of 16-24 year olds navigate straight to a traditional news site, 37% go to social media. 44% of which go to Instagram. So it's no surprise that the likes of Mo News are starting to capture these audiences attention. Instagram will be winning, and they aren't even trying to be newsy! So, how can newsbrands succeed in optimising around evolving behaviours? Back to that funnel! For me, to recapture the hearts and minds of young audiences, a part of the answer is about harmonising the tech stack to match evolving user habits. Some questions to ponder. -What is the tech stack optimised to, i.e revenue, subs, users, content, data..? -How many departments or silo's can it impact? -Who's cost centres does it come from and why? -Is the tech complimentary to each other? -Who are the primary stakeholders for each tech solution, how often do they meet? There are margins to be gained to get this bit right. So to summarise, younger news consumers need a new experience, and a more diverse one. A good tech stack can optimise the user experience, measure the output in one place, diversify revenue, gather data, retarget users, generate content and optimise the funnel. It's definitely worth opening up the tech cabinet and reviewing each part, and seeing what tweaks an be made to move the business forward. DM me if you want to discuss more. #news #newsbrands #adtech #martech #publishing https://lnkd.in/e4dmsNwe

First off, the data shows that social media is now the preferred source of news content, overall, in comparison to accessing news publisher websites and apps direct. #socialmedia #socialmedianews

Is anybody surprised that X remains more of a news destination than other sites in the US? I wonder if anybody can share similar studies for Europe and other regions… “Majorities of Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok users say keeping up with news is not a reason they use the sites,” writes Elisa Shearer, Sarah Naseer, Jacob Liedke, and Katerina Eva Matsa in their new Pew Research Center on “How Americans Get News on TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram.” But they add: “X (formerly Twitter) is the exception to this pattern: Most X users say that keeping up with news is either a major or minor reason they use the platform, and about half say they regularly get news there.” Of note: “Opinions and humorous content related to news are common on all four platforms. Two-thirds or more of users on each site say they ever see people expressing opinions about current events or funny posts that reference current events. On Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, users are less likely to say they ever see news articles (whether posted, reposted, linked or screenshotted) or information about a breaking news event as it is happening. X is the only platform studied where at least three-quarters of users see all of these types of information.” Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/exWb4j7U

Where do you get your news? Are you surprised that TikTok is now a more popular news source than X (formerly Twitter) in some regions? Share your thoughts and read the full report for a deeper dive into global news consumption habits. https://bit.ly/3VNkrU1

Although more U.S. readers are getting local news from online forums than daily newspapers, it's becoming clear that Meta is attempting to lessen the flow of news content on its family of apps, especially Facebook. According to a new report by publisher analytics firm Chartbeat and digital intelligence platform Similarweb, referral traffic from Facebook to publisher websites has declined 50% over the past 12 months. Chartbeat has been tracking Facebook traffic to a group of 792 news and media sites since 2018, showing that over the past six years, referrals to the sites have plunged by 58% -- from 1.3 billion in March 2018 to 561 million last month, according to Press Gazette, which originally reported on the study. In terms of total referrals, Facebook is now responsible for driving less than a quarter of their 2018 level -- down from 30% in March 2018 to just 7% in March 2024. Which has especially hurt small publishers. Combined page-view referrals from Facebook for the 316 smaller publishers (those with under 10,000 average daily page views) included in the analysis are seeing 2% of the traffic they saw six years ago. https://lnkd.in/g6EkhSXh

StatistaS News consumption worldwide› Social Media Is the Main Gateway to Online New  Jun 17, 2024 The fact that online news has overtaken print media and television as the number 1 news source for many people over the past decade shouldn’t be news to anyone. According to the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2024, 77 percent of the more than 90,000 respondents surveyed across 47 countries this year get their news online, compared to 55 percent who watch the news on TV and 19 percent who still read printed news. Within the large proportion of online news consumers, there has been a shift in online news consumption, however, as social media platforms play an increasingly important role, not only as a news source but also as a general gateway to online news. While direct access to news websites or apps used to be the most common entry point for online news consumption in 2018, it is now only the third most important gateway to online news, behind search and social media. While the shift to social media as people’s main gateway to news has its advantages, as it has the potential to spread news more quickly and make them more accessible and personalized, it also has major downsides, as news are no longer curated by editors but by algorithms who are usually trained to value engagement over accuracy. This way sensationalism tends to win over substance, making it harder for people to get a balanced view of certain topics. Moreover, social media tends to create “echo chambers” that reinforce people’s views and biases, as users are usually served what algorithms know will appeal to them, which is fine when it comes to entertainment but potentially dangerous when it comes to politics and news. For publishers, the decrease in direct access to news websites and apps is a worrying trend, as it makes them more vulnerable to platform shifts. The latest rise of AI tools could become such a platform shift. In the future, people could simply ask AI chatbots to give them the latest news on topic XYZ, which would pose a major threat to publishers’ traffic, potentially making it harder for to sell ads or subscriptions. More: https://lnkd.in/d2wJkf6v

Is this the end of social networks? 🤔 The latest #TheEconomist article suggests a shifting landscape with the rise of private groups, declining public posting, and concerns over misinformation. Are we witnessing 👁️ a fundamental transformation in how we connect 🖇️ online? These are the main breaking points highlighted in the article 🗞️: 🔏 Increasing #reliance on private groups ⤵️ #Decline in public posting and news consumption 🧐 Risks of unchecked #misinformation in closed channels 👯♀️ Shift towards #entertainment-focused content 🛂 #Governance challenges beyond traditional solutions 🌪️ Urgent need for #adaptation to emerging issues #SocialMedia #DigitalTransformation #StrongerTogether

Tagging people in 2024: It’s only risky if you do it wrong. Nothing says, "I need your attention right now!" ... like tagging a connection. Curiosity is a powerful force. 🕵️♂️ Sure, it may have killed the cat, but we face a different danger: Being ignored. Missing the tag. I’m glad 𝐲𝐨𝐮 log in almost every day. But most of your target audience doesn’t. 📈 In Q2, the European Union had ~170 million accounts. 📉 On average, just 48 million logged in each month. (𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒: 𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑑𝐼𝑛’𝑠 𝐷𝑆𝐴 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑅𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡, 𝐴𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑙 2024.) That leaves 120 million users who might log in 31 days ... after you tagged them. They’d have been curious, but they missed their chance. So, either get a tagging terrier, or make sure your tagged connections don’t miss it! PS: Are you tagging more or less than a year ago? #contentstrategy #newsfeed #publishing #tagging