Mario Nawfal breaks down how mainstream media has lost the public’s trust and why social media offers a more accessible, democratic approach to information sharing.
People’s trust in mainstream media has drastically fallen in recent years, reaching record lows in several countries amid the simultaneous rise in the popularity and proliferation of social media platforms.
An October 2023 Gallup poll found that just 32% of Americans had a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in mass media sources, way down from the 54% seen 20 years prior in 2003. A recent Reuters study that looked at media trust in Brazil, India, the United States and the United Kingdom also revealed declining levels of trust.
For many, social media platforms such as X, Facebook and TikTok have become primary sources of information and news. With this trend shift comes the opportunity for more grassroots, decentralized, democratic news reporting, though it also brings concerns about the proliferation of misinformation.