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News is a social experience

March 13, 2010 · Filed Under Research and Studies, Resources, Social Media 

The latest Pew Internet & American Life Project report, “Understanding the Participatory News Consumer,”  examines how Americans are increasingly using their social networks and social networking technology to filter, assess, and react to news.

News consumption is a socially-engaging and socially-driven activity,
especially online. The public is clearly part of the news process now.
Participation comes more through sharing than through contributing news
themselves.
Getting news is often an important social act. Some 72% of American news consumers
say they follow the news because they enjoy talking with others about what is
happening in the world and 69% say keeping up with the news is a social or civic
obligation. And 50% of American news consumers say they rely to some degree on
people around them to tell them the news they need to know. Online, the social
experience is widespread:
! 75% of online news consumers say they get news forwarded through email or posts
on social networking sites and 52% say they share links to news with others via those
means.
! 51% of social networking site (e.g. Facebook) users who are also online news
consumers say that on a typical day they get news items from people they follow.
Another 23% of this cohort follow news organizations or individual journalists on
Pew Internet & American Life Project Understanding the Participatory News Consumer | 6
! 75% of online news consumers say they get news forwarded through email or posts
on social networking sites and 52% say they share links to news with others via those
means.
! 51% of social networking site (e.g. Facebook) users who are also online news
consumers say that on a typical day they get news items from people they follow.
Another 23% of this cohort follow news organizations or individual journalists on
social networking sites.
Some 37% of internet users have contributed to the creation of news, commentary about
it, or dissemination of news via social media. They have done at least one of the
following: commenting on a news story (25%); posting a link on a social networking site
(17%); tagging content (11%), creating their own original news material or opinion piece
(9%), or Tweeting about news (3%).

The report says:

“News consumption is a socially-engaging and socially-driven activity, especially online. The public is clearly part of the news process now. Participation comes more through sharing than through contributing news themselves.

“Getting news is often an important social act. Some 72% of American news consumers say they follow the news because they enjoy talking with others about what is happening in the world and 69% say keeping up with the news is a social or civic obligation. And 50% of American news consumers say they rely to some degree on people around them to tell them the news they need to know. Online, the social experience is widespread:

  • 75% of online news consumers say they get news forwarded through email or posts on social networking sites and 52% say they share links to news with others via those means.
  • 51% of social networking site (e.g. Facebook) users who are also online news consumers say that on a typical day they get news items from people they follow.
  • Another 23% of this cohort follow news organizations or individual journalists on on social networking sites and 52% say they share links to news with others via those means.
  • 51% of social networking site (e.g. Facebook) users who are also online news consumers say that on a typical day they get news items from people they follow.
  • Another 23% of this cohort follow news organizations or individual journalists on social networking sites.
  • Some 37% of internet users have contributed to the creation of news, commentary about it, or dissemination of news via social media. They have done at least one of the following: commenting on a news story (25%); posting a link on a social networking site (17%); tagging content (11%), creating their own original news material or opinion piece (9%), or Tweeting about news (3%).

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    · Written by @cyberjournalist · Comments

    Comments
    • I don't think this is a NEW development. People are relational by nature.
    • I have to admit, I'm guilty of this. I can't count how many times I've clicked on a semi-interesting article on the Yahoo! homepage, just for the sake of having something to bring up in conversation with friends later in the week. But I don't think this is a NEW development. People are relational by nature, and talking about the latest events is something that just comes, well, naturally. The only thing that's "new" now is the method by which we go about obtaining the news.
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