Pew Research Survey: TikTok Becomes The Second Most Popular News Source In America

TikTok is one of the most popular news sources in America (photo: Doc. Pixabay)

JAKARTA Pew Research Center analyzes the role of social media in presenting news in America. There are four platforms that Pew Research observed, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and platform X. The results of the survey released on Wednesday, June 12 show that TikTok is the second most popular news source after X. Despite occupying second place, many TikTok users do not consider the platform as a source of news. Of the many users surveyed, only 15 percent used TikTok to search for news. However, 35 percent of respondents admitted that they often find new news that cannot be found on other platforms. On TikTok, the source of the news is very diverse and does not always come from people who are experts in their fields. This source comes from influencers or celebrities, journalists, and people they don't know or just go through on For You Page (FYP). This is an interesting finding because on other platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, users tend to get news from posts of friends, relatives, or other people they know even though they are not close.

Meanwhile, users on platform X tend to view news from sources that have credibility such as media or reporters. These findings suggest that each platform user has a unique way of obtaining information. The majority of TikTok users use the platform as a media for entertainment, but the popularity of TikTok as a news source continues to increase. This raises concerns for lawmakers in America. When information arises massively, especially if it comes from unknown people, users must be able to sort out which information is correct and which is not. If TikTok users ignore this, hoax and disinformation issues will be difficult to overcome.