Bite Size Comms
Bite Size Comms is a weekly podcast that will give you a perspective on an aspect of public relations and communications practice. Bite size as they are short opinion pieces on topical issues. The episodes are sometimes contentious, sometimes funny, and they all aim to provoke thought.
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Bite Size Comms
"The Times They Are A-Changin'"
For the first time, OFCOM’s annual research shows that online platforms have overtaken TV channels as the most popular sources of news in the UK. We look at what changes are happening in news consumption in the UK.
“The Times They Are A-Changin’”
For the first time, OFCOM’s annual research shows that online platforms have overtaken TV channels as the most popular sources of news in the UK. 71% of UK adults consume news online - websites and apps, whereas 70% use a TV. OFCOM said that the most significant driving factor was the increasing use of social media for news. Over half of UK adults now use social media platforms to access news, up 5% since last year. The most popular social media platforms for news are Facebook, then YouTube, Instagram, and X. All except X are used by more adults as news sources than the BBC News website and app!
However, traditional news sources outperform online ones in terms of research questions about trust, accuracy, and impartiality. For the last three years, six out of ten adults have rated public service broadcasters as “trusted and accurate.”
If we dig into the OFCOM data, we see that for 16- to 24-year-olds, social media is the dominant news source (82%). Instagram then TikTok are the preferred platforms. For people over 55, the preferred news source is TV. However, 54% of the 55+ group now find news online - through news websites rather than social media (only 28% compared to the 16-24’s 82%). For 12- to 15-year-olds, TikTok is the preferred source of news.
On the topic of social media, I was amused to read that hobby apps have become the new social networks. Especially to find friends and future partners. Forget Tinder and other dating apps; it is Strava (running and cycling), Goodreads (books), Revelry (knitting) or Letterboxd (films) where you need to be. This fits the broader change where people are becoming tired of the digital town square that is X and prefer a friendlier environment. Connecting with people with similar hobbies and interests rather than broadcasting views and commentary to the world. I was gobsmacked to read another article about the people who try to beat running records on Strava within airport terminal buildings!
Bob Dylan recorded “The Times They Are A-Changin’” in 1964. Until recently, BBC News at Nine and ITV News at Ten were the dominant news sources for UK adults. The shift to online, particularly social media, has been gradual. The BBC director general admitted in the BBC’s Annual Report for 2024 that 500,000 fewer people pay the TV licence fee than the previous year. The change will continue.
[Image: Fujiphilm on Unsplash]
