NDM 32

Just one in four Britons trust news on social media, finds survey

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/22/just-one-in-four-britons-trust-news-on-social-media-finds-survey

- The Guardian

It has been credited with everything from democratising news to helping to overthrow dictators but it appears that the love affair with social media may be over.

• Only 24% of the UK population trust the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram when looking for news and information, a survey has found.
• At the same time, the survey found there had been a striking 13-point increase in support for traditional media, to 61% – the highest level since 2012.
• The fear of fake news may explain why 42% said they only skimmed headlines on social media but did not click on the content and also the increase in support for traditional media
• The Edelman trust barometer, the 18th annual survey, found 64% of 1,050 UK respondents worried that social media companies were not regulated enough, 69% agreed that they did not do enough to prevent bullying and 70% that there was insufficient action to stop illegal or unethical behaviour on networks.
•  53% of people polled said they worried about being exposed to fake news on social media
• The Edelman trust barometer, published on Monday, suggests the days when social media was championed as an enabler of citizen journalists and for its role in the Arab Spring have passed.

"Amy Orben, a social media psychologist and lecturer at Oxford University, said: “Social media companies are just experiencing what some of their more traditional rivals experienced at their launch. " I find this interesting as it can relate to newspapers and how they were once not a dying media.