By Tyler Davis
Boston University News Service
Social media is a useful tool for sharing photos, videos — and increasingly— information. Just over half of United States adults (54%) say they at least sometimes get news from social media, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll. Some even use social media for their political news, despite questions on its trustworthiness.
According to the poll, about 48% of 18-29 year olds get their election information from social media. However, according to a Security.org survey, over half of Americans have less trust in the media compared to a year ago.
A BUNS poll of Boston University students found that over half of respondents got their 2024 election information from social media. The poll also found that the most popular platform for information was Instagram.
Kenny Daniels, a junior studying political science, is alarmed by the number of his peers getting their election information off of social media.
“That is definitely not good,” Daniels said. “With our generation, everyone gets their news from social media in general, not just election-based [news].”
Students raised concerns over the reliability of election news spread on social media. However, what is seen on social media regarding the election is not always true.
“It’s hard to find fully reliable, accurate information online because things kind of get misconstrued so easily,” Sana Muneer, a sophomore studying journalism, said.
“There is so much misinformation,” Daniels said. “There is so much stuff that if you just do a quick Google search, it will disprove whatever you’re seeing.”
Misinformation and disinformation are not new on social media. A 2023 to Statista study found that 67% of Americans are concerned about the spread of false information on social media. Nearly 40% of respondents to a 2020 Statista poll disclosed that they have unknowingly shared fake news.
“There’s a lot of misconceptions about both [Presidential] candidates that are being fueled by social media,” Daniels said, “Earlier today, I saw a TikTok that said ‘Kamala [Harris] was listening to Tupac when she was in college but Tupac was in middle school.’”
To address the reliability gaps in social media information, some consumers consult major news outlets, many of which have rigorous fact checking procedures, such as subscribing to the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics.
“I like to read the New York Times or the Boston Globe,” Teagan Keane, a sophomore studying journalism, said.
However, accessing articles by news outlets poses a different problem. “My issue is that everything is behind a paywall,” said Daniels.
More than two-thirds (69%) of the leading news outlets in the U.S. and E.U. are operating behind a paywall, according to Reuters Institute,
An issue people are facing when sourcing election information is that news articles are often behind paywalls. Former U.S. undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs Richard Stengel argued in The Atlantic that “democracy dies behind paywalls,” and called for the removal of paywalls on news stories covering the 2024 election.
To combat the spread of misinformation, students cited the importance of expanding their network of news sources.
“I just have to be cautious of where I’m getting information from and fact checking to be sure I’m being informed,” Keane said.
Muneer said: “You should get your news through a bunch of different mediums.”
