Rising Influence: Social Media Shapes News for Young Americans

A Pew Knight Initiative study reveals that news influencers, individuals with large followings on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube, tend to lean more towards the political right than the left. These influencers, who are increasingly shaping public opinion, especially among younger audiences, often lack formal journalism backgrounds. The study found that male influencers outnumber females two to one, and platforms like Facebook have a higher concentration of right-leaning influencers, while TikTok is the only platform where left-leaning influencers are more prevalent.