A Summary Of Key Digital Media Findings For 2020 . Tip#24

[FrankJScott]

The coronavirus outbreak has significantly increased news consumption for the mainstream media in all the countries in which we conducted our surveys prior to and after the pandemic began to take effects. Online and television news sources have both seen significant rises. The majority of people now consider television their primary source of news and this is a temporary relief from a trend of declining news consumption. As lockdowns make it harder to get newspapers into physical format, the number of readers has slowed. It is likely that the transition towards digital publishing will be accelerated. The usage of social media and online has seen a significant increase in many countries. WhatsApp saw the most growth, with an increase by ten percent or more in some nations. Over half (51%) of those surveyed used some type of open or closed group on the internet to communicate, share information or participate in an in-person support system.

As of April 2020, trust in the coverage of the media of COVID-19 was relatively high across every country, and at the same level as national governments and significantly higher than for individual politicians. Trust in the media was higher than the level for social networks or video platforms, as well as messaging services when it came to information on COVID-19. The global concern about misinformation remains high as per the vaster dataset we gathered in January. Even before the coronavirus crisis was a reality, over half of our global sample said they were concerned about the truth or not on the internet in relation to news. Although politicians in the United States are the primary source of false information, people who consider themselves to be right-wing in some nations (including the United States) are more inclined than others to blame the media. Although Facebook is widely believed to be the primary source of false information virtually everywhere, WhatsApp is more responsible for spreading false information in the Global South like Brazil and Malaysia.

Our survey in January across all nations found that less than 4 out 10 (38 percent) considered the majority of news to be credible. This is a drop of 4 percentage points when in comparison to the same survey in 2019. More than half (46 percent) stated that they trust the news they use themselves. Public broadcasters are witnessing their popularity eroded by political partisans of both the right- and left-leaning political sides, due to increasing uncertainty and political polarisation. Our research shows that 60% of respondents still prefer news that is impartial in their views, whereas only 28 percent are influenced by news that reinforces or shares their views. While the number of partisans has slightly grown in America since 2013 but the majority still prefer news that is objective or neutral.

Most people (52%) would prefer the media to expose false statements from politicians (29 29.9%) in order to adapt to changing communication styles. People are more hesitant to view political ads on social media or search engines as they are with television ads. Most people (58 percent) prefer to have platforms that prevent false statements even though they are the ones who decide on the ultimate decision. We have seen significant rises in the amount of money paid for online journalism across a variety of countries, including the United States (+14) and Norway (42 percent + 8). However there's been a smaller increase in various markets. It is worth noting that nearly all countries do not pay for online information, even though some publishers have been able to report a "coronavirus bump".

For subscribers the most important aspect is the uniqueness and quality of the content. Subscribers believe that they receive better information. However, a large number of people are satisfied with the news they can access for free and we find a high percentage of non-subscribers (40 percent in the USA and 50 percent in the UK) who claim that there is nothing they can do to convince people to pay. Paying more (e.g. The USA and Norway have a similar proportion of between a quarter and half of all subscriptions being given to only a few large national brands. This shows that winning-takes-all dynamic is still prevalent in these countries. But in both these countries there is a substantial number of people purchasing multiple subscriptions, usually adding a local or specialist publication. For radio din Alba Iulia Romanian radio station. Their format is composed of 60% news from all fields, and 40 percent music. The current lineup of programming includes news shows from the region, specialty programs, as well as talk show programming. They are drawn to news, contestsand interviews, but also to cultural shows, debates, music, and entertainment.

Four out of 10 (44 percent) of the newsweekly reports about a given country are written by local newspapers. Our research has shown that Facebook, and other social media platforms, are now used on an average of about a quarter (31%) for local news and information. This creates more pressure on businesses and their business models. The news is continuing to increase in distribution. Only 28 percent of all people prefer to begin their journeys to read news on websites or apps. Those aged 18-24 (so-called Generation Z) have an even weaker connection with apps and websites. They are more than twice as likely to prefer to get news through social media. Instagram has seen an increase in news-sharing across all age groups. It is possible that Instagram will surpass Twitter in the next 12 months.

To stop the proliferation of different platforms publishers have tried to engage directly with customers via email alerts and mobile devices. The United States sees nearly one fifth of the American population reading news emails weekly (21%) and nearly half of those access it as their primary source of news. Northern European countries have taken longer to get on board with email news channels. Only 10% use Finnish email news. The number of people who listen to podcasts has risen significantly in the past year, although coronavirus lockdowns could temporarily alter this trend. The majority of people across the globe (50 percent) think that podcasts provide more understanding and depth over other media. Additionally, Spotify has become the most popular source for podcasts in many markets, outdoing Apple's Podcast app.

The majority of people (69%) consider that climate change is a major issue. But, a tiny percentage of people in Australia, Sweden and the United States disagree with this opinion. This group tends be right-winger as well as older. Younger people can access much more information on climate change through social media and by following activists such as Greta Thunberg. Amazon Echo, Google Home and other voice-activated smart assistants continue to gain popularity. Their use for any purpose has grown by 14% to 19 percent (UK) and between 7% and 12% in Germany as well as 9 to 13% South Korea. However, the use of news is low in all markets.