Are Social Media Platforms Now America's Top News Source?

SYRACUSE, New York, United States — Social media platforms have overtaken television, newspapers and other traditional outlets as the leading source of news for American adults, according to a new monthly Flash Report from Syracuse University's Center for the Creator Economy, reported by the New York Post.

The survey of 1,001 adults found that 59% regularly get their news from social media and 55% turn to those platforms specifically for political information, the report found, according to the New York Post. Taken together, social platforms and independent outlets — including YouTube, X, TikTok, Instagram, podcasts, Substack and independent newsletters — were cited by 60% of respondents as a news source, compared with 32% who cited traditional newsrooms, the Post reported.

What did the Syracuse University survey find?

The Center for the Creator Economy's Flash Report measured where adults say they get political and election news on a monthly basis. Its headline finding is a reversal in rank: social platforms, as a category, now draw more citations than broadcast and cable television, newspapers and online news sites combined, according to the report cited by the Post. The gap between the social/independent category (60%) and traditional newsrooms (32%) amounts to roughly a two-to-one split among the adults surveyed.

Which platform leads as America's top individual news source?

YouTube ranks as the single most-cited source for political and election news, drawing 16.5% of respondents, narrowly ahead of broadcast and cable television at 16.1% and online news sites at 15.7%, the survey found. X followed at 14%, with Facebook at 10.8%, TikTok at 10.4%, Instagram at 7.3%, podcasts at 3.5%, Substack or independent newsletters at 3.4% and LinkedIn last at 0.3%, according to the figures reported by the Post.

Taken together, social platforms and independent outlets were cited by 60% of respondents, compared with 32% who cited traditional newsrooms. — Syracuse University Center for the Creator Economy Flash Report, as reported by the New York Post

Who relies most on social media for news?

Young adults and black Americans were among the groups most likely to rely on social media rather than professional journalists for news, the survey found, according to the Post's account of the report. The underlying report does not break out exact percentages for those subgroups in the material reviewed, and no additional demographic breakdowns beyond that finding were available in the source cited.

What does the survey say about how people now judge the news?

The findings suggest audiences increasingly judge news by who delivers it rather than by the outlet's institutional pedigree, the Post reported, citing the Flash Report. The report frames this as a shift in how trust is assigned — toward individual creators, commentators and personalities circulating on platforms such as YouTube, X and TikTok, rather than toward newsroom brands as such. No further detail on the mechanics of that trust shift was provided in the source material reviewed.

By the numbers

• 59% of adults surveyed said they regularly get news from social media; 55% said they turn to those platforms for political information.
• Social platforms and independent outlets combined were cited by 60% of respondents, versus 32% for traditional newsrooms.
• YouTube: 16.5% | Broadcast/cable TV: 16.1% | Online news sites: 15.7% | X: 14% | Facebook: 10.8% | TikTok: 10.4% | Instagram: 7.3% | Podcasts: 3.5% | Substack/newsletters: 3.4% | LinkedIn: 0.3%.

(All figures per Syracuse University's Center for the Creator Economy Flash Report, as reported by the New York Post.)

Terms used in the report

• Flash Report — A recurring monthly survey product published by Syracuse University's Center for the Creator Economy tracking where Americans say they get news.
• Traditional newsrooms — In the report's framing, this category covers broadcast and cable television news, newspapers and online news sites operated by established outlets.
• Social platforms and independent outlets — The report's combined category for YouTube, X, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, podcasts, Substack and independent newsletters, as distinct from newsroom-branded sources.

The survey's margin of error, methodology details and full demographic tables were not included in the material available from the New York Post's account of the report, and the Center for the Creator Economy's original Flash Report was not independently reviewed for this article.