Social networks and online videos surpass traditional media for the first time in reporting | Internet | streaming | artificial intelligence

The year 2026 “marks an important stage: for the first time, social networks and video platforms surpass other sources of information and become the main means of obtaining information worldwide,” says Jim Egan, main author of the report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

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Published every year by this institute linked to the British University of Oxford, this study on digital information is considered a reference for analyzing the transformations of the media. It is based on online surveys carried out at the beginning of the year by the YouGov company of almost 100,000 people in 48 countries.

According to those surveyed, in the week prior to the survey, 54% of them had turned to social networks and video platforms to obtain information. A proportion that reaches 56% if artificial intelligence conversational agents such as ChatGPT are included.

Instead, these figures drop to 52% for television, 51% for newspaper websites and applications, and 21% for radio.

“Progressive evolution”

This trend is not new, since in some countries analyzed individually, networks and platforms already occupied first place in previous years.

But it is the first time that this way of consuming information is the majority in the average of the group of markets studied, taking into account that the countries where traditional press websites and applications continue to lead are almost all in Europe.

“You have to see it as a progressive evolution rather than a sudden change,” explains Egan.

Globally, social media and video platforms are the main source of information for 3 in 10 respondents, and for more than 1 in 2 in the 18-24 age group.

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Usage differs depending on the network. A majority of respondents go to X and YouTube expressly to get information. But on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, access to information occurs more by chance, when users are connected for other reasons.

The only age groups for which television continues to occupy first place are those between 45 and 54 years old and those over 55.

And in the case of traditional media websites and apps, the verdict is even harsher: no age group cites them as their main source of information.

All of this “has obvious consequences on the ability” of the media “to reach the public and generate income,” warns Egan, former director of the BBC.

Only 17% of those surveyed claim to pay for online information, and a large part of the advertising market is captured by the internet giants to the detriment of traditional media.

Loss of trust in the media

This 180-page report also addresses underlying issues that have been established for several years: the rise of video formats, the growing influence of content creators dedicated to information, and the loss of trust in the media.

This indicator reaches its historical minimum, with only 37% of respondents trusting “most information most of the time.”

On the other hand, AI agents are increasingly used for information, a central theme of last year’s analysis.

10% of those surveyed use them every week for this purpose, compared to 7% who did so in 2025.

“How to respond to the rapid development of generative AI is the biggest challenge facing media executives and policymakers,” according to Egan.