Following the further rise of social media and how it is embedded into our daily routines, lives and cultures. It is undeniable that this has negatively impacted the content that we consume. Especially in regard to the socio-economic and political affairs that are taking place. Algorithms on social media do not necessarily work to provide us with relevant and important news updates, it filters content based on what we have previously interacted with. Many young people, who arguably form most of the social media user group, may not interact with content that is on current affairs. Furthermore, this can lead to a cycle and rise in misinformation- there could be a false sense of belief in these sources.
Why Gen Z is increasingly encountering news online
According to the 2026 Digital News Report, there has been a âplatformisationâ of news consumption- social media appears to be more popular than TV and websites and apps as news sources. Â According to Ofcom, 78% of UK 16-24 year olds accessed news through social media or video-sharing platforms in the past month. Globally, the Reuters Instituteâs 2026 Digital News Report shows that 52% of 18-24 year olds now say social media, video networks and AI chatbots are their main source of getting news. This does make sense. We are all on social media, it is free and creators explain the news in a way that is easier to consume than reading lengthy articles. It could be arguably more convenient for the news content to pop up on our feeds every now and then instead of looking ourselves.
why seeing the news is not the same as understanding it
However, a lot of young people might be deceived by thinking that scrolling through news content is the equivalent of actively reading it and understanding it. The media literacy and critical thinking of this generation may potentially be at a risk due to the surge of AI news reports and misinformation consistently circulating social media and our feeds. Ofcom notes that this news consumption is âincreasingly passiveâ, reaching us âincidentally and continuouslyâ through personalised feeds. As well as this, it was found that most people on Instagram and Tiktok report that they generally only see news when they are online for other reasons. We are passively engaging with the news this way; what happened to intentionally going out of our own ways to stay up to date with the world?
How the algortihm misleads us
Moving on to the algorithm. Our engagement is constantly sent out to determine what type of content we all see. Social media has been regarded by Chan where âlike-mindedâ people repeat and exaggerate information in a closed loop. Our confirmation bias is therefore reinforced and we are more likely to favour information that aligns with pre-existing beliefs. On top of this, the research Chan equips suggests the most effective platform algorithm is one that recommends extreme content, which is exactly what goes viral. Two people could potentially scroll on the same app and walk away with completely different takeaways from the news. The more outrageous a claim, the further it travels, and the more we see it repeated, the more true it starts to feel. Our feeds arenât showing us the world. They’re showing us ourselves.
WHY CRITICAL THINKING MATTERS AND HOW WE CAN BECOME BETTER INFORMED
None of this means to delete all social media and to drown ourselves in newspapers. Social media is still useful to see the information and the range of opinions out there whilst making it more accessible. Most people who follow news creators use them alongside traditional outlets rather than instead of them, and thatâs the balance worth aiming for. Being well informed is all about knowing where to go to find the right sources and information and being reflexive of the news that are embedded into our feeds. Make sure to dive deeper into the stories rather than just relying on the headline! Do not judge the news by its headline! Being chronically online is okay; staying chronically misinformed is up to you.