Nearly half of Americans who rely on YouTube for news watch independent channels
Lots of people watch YouTube for funny viral videos and make-up tutorials. But a large percentage of Americans also rely on YouTube for news.
A new study from Pew Research Centerfound that YouTube channels are an integral source of news and information for more than a quarter of all adults in the U.S. While that’s certainly a lot of people tuning into YouTube for news, perhaps this isn’t too shocking as the platform is the second most-trafficked search engine in the world right after its sister company Google. People treat YouTube as an information source, except they’re looking for video instead of text.
However, what may be shocking is that mainstream news media organizations don’t account for anywhere near the bulk of what viewers are consuming. In fact, the study found that roughly half of those who get their news from YouTube watch independent channels. And, of all those people who use YouTube to get up to date on current events, a whopping 72 percent of them say the platform is either an important or the mostimportant source for their news.
SEE ALSO:YouTube moves to stop election misinformation. But is it enough?First, the good news. Independent media on YouTube often covers issues and topics that may get ignored by the mainstream press. And it's often complementary and helps viewers better understand the issues.
The Pew study found that 66 percent of those who watch YouTube videos for news say it helps them understand current events better. It also found that "68 percent say the videos keep their attention and that they typically watch closely, rather than playing them in the background."
That’s great news for creators as well. There’s clearly an audience for independent media on YouTube. The study found that the most popular YouTube news channels are “personality-driven,” meaning the content is centered around an on-camera host, similar to The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
When it comes to independent media, YouTube personalities are even more instrumental to a channel’s success. A majority, 70 percent, of the most popular channels are personality-driven. The Pew study provided Kyle Kulinski’s left-leaning Secular Talk channel and Mark Dice’s right-wing channel as two examples.
With the news media industry flailingand YouTube’s model of paying creators, it’s good that there is a growing source of new opportunities for those who report on or share news and current events.
But here is the part of the study that is alarming. A bit more than half of YouTube news consumers prefer opinion and commentary over straight factual reporting. That’s fine if viewers know and understand what they’re watching. In fact, it’s goodto get a rounded view and understand different opinions. But, the Pew study found that only 12 percent of YouTube news channels openly identify their ideological slant. This means viewers can be taking in biased, partisan content without realizing it.
Republicans surveyed by Pew said that censorship, demonetization, and political bias are very big problems on the platform. Democrats, however, find that misinformation and harassment are the largest concerns with YouTube.
Even more alarming: out of thousands of videos analyzed from the top 100 independent YouTube news channels, 21 percent of them mentioned at least one conspiracy theory. The most discussed right now? QAnon.
Compared to independent YouTube news sources, discussion of conspiracy theories on mainstream news channels is practically nonexistent. It should be noted that some videos from independent channels could be debunking conspiracy theories. But not all of them are, a problem considering YouTube’s history of struggleswith conspiratorial content and misinformation.
Unsurprisingly, the study found that videos covering President Donald Trump’s administration made up the bulk of news content both published and viewed.
The demographics among those surveyed also reflect how many already view the YouTube politics and news audience: mostly white and male. They are also very young, with 71 percent of viewers under 50, and 34 percent under 30 years old. However, the study did note how YouTube news consumers are more racially diverse than the U.S. adult public at large.
The poll's biggest takeaway, in my opinion, is just how successful independent news is on YouTube despite some of the company’s actions to surface mainstream outlets. For example, in order to fight misinformation, YouTube implemented a system that promotes“authoritative” outlets. If a particular story or current event starts trending on YouTube, search results for those terms will pull up mainstream outlets such as NBC News or Fox Business.
Despite that huge leg up for mainstream media, independent news on YouTube is still thriving.
-
13 Astronomical Clocks Connecting Time And SpaceKamala Harris, Loretta Sanchez can lock up California Senate seat for Democrats on Tuesday.Trump says he knew about a Bill O'Reilly question in advance.Horrific harassment story is giving the internet a new reason to #DeleteUber'Metaphor: ReFantazio' handsNorth Korea goes Hollywood with dramatic missile launch footageGoogle is bringing back its blob emoji — in Allo'WreckNCT member Taeil leaves band over sexual offense allegationsNorth Korea opens photo exhibition marking decade of leader's rule
- ·[Herald Review] Tori Kelly thrills fans, hints her love for Korean artists
- ·H2Pro's dollar
- ·7企业获富余电量补贴86.73万元
- ·S. Korea launches new naval frigate on 74th anniversary of Navy foundation
- ·If aliens harnessed solar power, could we detect them? NASA investigated.
- ·市城乡规划委员会第三届十三次主任会议召开
- ·市农业局开展“技术走基层、党员做先锋” 活动
- ·市农业局开展“技术走基层、党员做先锋” 活动
- ·Military prosecutors indict intel official over leaking 'black agent' info
- ·GOP senator’s “jokey” psalm for Obama sounds like death wish.
- ·Magic Leap vs. Microsoft HoloLens: Which is the better AR experience?
- ·GOP Congressmen offering “thoughts and prayers” for Orlando accepted NRA donations.
- ·Aricell CEO arrested in first case under industrial accidents law
- ·New, somewhat unconventional Philippines leader encourages citizens to kill drug dealers.
- ·Of course Cate Blanchett joined an Adele performance at a drag show at Stonewall in a pussy hat
- ·张大千、张淼父子跨世纪的雅安情缘
- ·Yoon, US Senate's armed service committee chief discuss alliance, N.K. threats
- ·How to hide who you're stalking on Instagram
- ·New, somewhat unconventional Philippines leader encourages citizens to kill drug dealers.
- ·North Korean hackers targeted US media, IT, crypto firms: Google
- ·Military prosecutors indict intel official over leaking 'black agent' info
- ·South Korean women will live longer than the rest of us in the future
- ·North Korean leader sends letter of sympathy to Xi over jet crash
- ·North Korea goes Hollywood with dramatic missile launch footage
- ·20 Places to Eat Dumplings and Noodles for Lunar New Year
- ·Google's HR ambitions just keep growing
- ·提前谋划部署准备秋季开学
- ·North Korean leader sends letter of sympathy to Xi over jet crash
- ·Video of former President Chun playing golf sparks uproar
- ·New, somewhat unconventional Philippines leader encourages citizens to kill drug dealers.
- ·Google is bringing AI summaries to ‘Files’ so you can find your docs quicker
- ·我市将开展六项专项整治
- ·Biden remains silent on North Korea amid Russian invasion of Ukraine
- ·New, somewhat unconventional Philippines leader encourages citizens to kill drug dealers.
- ·Scientists discover where the huge dinosaur
- ·North Korea opens photo exhibition marking decade of leader's rule