Journalist or influencer?

A study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, associated with the University of Oxford , found that the majority of TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram users trust influencers or celebrities more for information. On the other hand, on Facebook and Twitter, networks less used by young people, journalists continue to be the main source of news. The study interviewed 94 thousand people, from 46 countries, including Brazil.

This trend is not new and has been constantly highlighted by this research, produced annually. But now this phenomenon has crystallized.

This is a serious observation, with serious consequences for our freedoms, for democracy.

Professional and serious journalistic production always seeks to disseminate checked and balanced information. The information propagated by influencers or celebrities or pseudo-journalistic websites is often the result of gossip or third-party posts shared.

It is important to make it clear that professional journalism has its flaws, and there are many of them. There are good and bad journalists. And of course there are social media idols who take due care when publishing news content. But they are not the rule.

The result of this is that young people, especially, are increasingly exposed to false, biased news and a superficial approach to events. This faulty information source withpromeour critical capacity for discernment.

Vulnerable to manipulation

By anchoring their trust in an individual (influencer or celebrity), rather than a recognized source of professional journalism, young people become much more vulnerable to manipulation. This situation feeds the strength of fake news, extremist, messianic movements, as we have seen in recent years, including, as we saw, in Brazil.

And what can be done to try to alleviate this problem? There are several paths, but one is essential: journalism and its professionals need to reinvent themselves to gain society's trust. The technological revolution, social media, artificial intelligence and more are elements that will continue to deepen their impact on our lives. There is no way back. Journalism needs to actually incorporate these changes and not treat them with disdain. Yes, there are cases of newspapers and journalists going in this direction, but they are insufficient, punctual.

A lot has changed in journalism in recent decades, but the pace of this transformation is much slower than we have seen in our lifetimes.

Journalists need to abandon old elitist dogmas and false moralisms and, with humility, revolutionize their craft. Before it's too late.

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Journalists lose influence among young people, study finds

Young people increasingly find out more information through social networks and influencers and celebrities, leaving journalists aside, according to the 2023 report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, associated with the University of Oxford.

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