According to an annual study conducted by media regulator Ofcom, the number of people accessing news stories via websites and social media apps in the UK is now greater than the number that use printed newspapers.
The news consumption research indicated that 41% of the nation keeps up-to-date with stories and current affairs through websites and other digital platforms; a rise from last year’s 32%. This compares to a slightly lower 40% of news-seekers who use a newspaper. The study also stated that the most popular media source for accessing the news is still television, with 75% of the population using this method.
The study also suggested social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter contributed to the rise in digital news, as 60% of people in the 16-24 age category stated that they used these social networking sites to access news stories.
It is also believed that the growth of portable devices and the time spent using them is a further contributing factor. Younger people are now spending more time searching the web and accessing the latest news via mobile phones and tablets, with 40% of people in the 16 to 24 age group using their mobile phones and 15% using tablets.
This report is not the first to highlight this change, and the challenges traditional media such as newspapers are faced with. However, the more mainstream news providers such as the BBC and the leading broadsheets and tabloids continue to be popular in supplying news, albeit from their online platforms.
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