A new survey found that influencers have, to an extent, replaced mainstream media. About 21% of US adults—and nearly 40% of adults under 30—now get their news from individual creators, according to a Pew report.
Surprised? Probably not. The recent presidential election highlighted the influence of influencers as both candidates leveraged creators in their campaigns and appeared on podcasts (The Joe Rogan Experience, Call Her Daddy, etc.) to make their case to voters.
About the report: Pew surveyed 10,000 adults and studied 500 news influencers, or people who regularly post about the news and have 100k+ followers. Some of the biggest takeaways:
- There’s a wide gender gap. The study found 63% of news influencers are men, compared to 30% who are women.
- X is on top. 85% of news influencers are active on the site, while Instagram, the second most popular, is used by 50% of news influencers.
- TikTok bucks trends. It has the smallest gender gap—50% male influencers and 45% female influencers—and is the only platform where news influencers who are publicly left-leaning (28%) outnumber those who are right-leaning (25%).
Looking ahead…expect legacy news outlets that are losing viewers and subscribers to start partnering up with popular influencers, no experience necessary. The study found 77% of news influencers have no past or present affiliation with a news organization.—CC