THANKS FOR TURNING TO US HERE AT STRAIGHT ARROW TO GET YOUR NEWS.

IT TURNS OUT – MANY AMERICANS ARE TURNING TO ALTERNATIVE SOURCES TO GET THEIR INFORMATION – EVEN IF THOSE SOURCES ARE UNCONVENTIONAL.

WHILE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GETTING THEIR NEWS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA IN RECENT YEARS… A NEW STUDY SHOWS JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE REGULARLY FORGO TRADITIONAL JOURNALISM.

ACCORDING TO THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER… MORE THAN 1 IN 5 AMERICANS SAY THEY PREFER TO GET THEIR NEWS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA “NEWS INFLUENCERS” FIRST.

THAT’S ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR PEOPLE 18 TO 29 YEARS OLD – 37 PERCENT OF THEM SAID THEY DO.

“NEWS INFLUENCERS” ARE PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY POST ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS AND CIVIC ISSUES ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND HAVE AT LEAST 100-THOUSAND FOLLOWERS.

AND WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR FOLLOWERS – THERE’S NO REAL DISTINCTION BETWEEN DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS… 

WITH 21 PERCENT OF DEMOCRATS AND 22 PERCENT OF REPUBLICANS FAVORING NEWS INFLUENCERS.

WHEN IT COMES TO *WHO* AMERICANS CHOOSE TO GET THEIR NEWS FROM… ABOUT TWO OUT OF THREE NEWS INFLUENCERS ARE MALE.

AND ABOUT HALF OF ALL INFLUENCERS *DON’T* EXPRESS ANY CLEAR POLITICAL ORIENTATION.

X – FORMERLY KNOWN AS TWITTER – IS THE MOST POPULAR SOCIAL MEDIA SITE FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR NEWS TO TURN TO… FOLLOWED BY INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBE.

SO *WHY* EXACTLY ARE PEOPLE TURNING TO SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THEIR LATEST HEADLINES?

PEW’S SURVEY FOUND ABOUT TWO OUT OF THREE SAY IT HELPS THEM BETTER UNDERSTAND THE TOPICS.

IF SOCIAL MEDIA IS HOW YOU WANT TO GET YOUR UPDATES – STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS IS ON THEM ALL – OR, YOU CAN SKIP THE MIDDLE MAN AND DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TO START GETTING THE LATEST UNBIASED UPDATES DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOU.