A new report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, published June 16, confirms what many already suspected. Social media has overtaken television as the primary news source for Americans. The number is not vague. It is 54%. That is the share of U.S. adults who now get their news from platforms like YouTube, X, Instagram, and TikTok. TV trails at 50%. Traditional news websites sit at 48%. Print is barely hanging on at 14%.
The shift is not subtle. It is generational. The report surveyed nearly 100,000 people across 48 countries. The U.S. showed the fastest and most dramatic pivot. Younger Americans are bypassing cable and legacy outlets entirely. They are turning to independent creators, podcasters, and video personalities. The most-watched names are not anchors. They are people like Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson. Rogan alone reaches 22% of Americans weekly. Carlson hits 14%.
The trend is not just about convenience. It is about trust. The U.S. lacks a single, widely trusted national media brand. The BBC fills that role in the UK. Germany has ARD. Canada has CBC. The U.S. has fragmentation. That vacuum has been filled by individuals. The result is a media landscape that is more personal, more partisan, and more direct. Politicians are adapting. Trump has invited influencers to press briefings. Biden has not.
The establishment is not thrilled. Some Democratic lawmakers have called the trend “problematic.” They say misinformation spreads faster on social platforms. They say the public is being misled. But the public is not listening. The same report shows that 73% of Americans are concerned about their ability to tell truth from fiction online. That is not a call for censorship. That is a call for discernment.
The generational divide is visible. The Kings protest movement, which has drawn thousands to rallies across the country, is dominated by older Americans. Many of them still rely on cable news. They are the last loyal audience for CNN and MSNBC. The younger crowd is elsewhere. They are watching clips, not broadcasts. They are reading threads, not op-eds. They are not tuning in. They are scrolling past.
The media monopoly is broken. The narrative is no longer centralized. The audience has moved. And the numbers are not going back.
Sources:
https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2025/where-do-americans-get-news/