TikTok as news source: degradation or a new form of journalism
EL.KZ Информационно-познавательный портал
TikTok jumped into the top spot among social apps where young people regularly get news. El.kz examines how much trust can be placed in information from an entertainment-focused social network.
According to report by Reuters Institute that short videos are rapidly displacing traditional formats of information consumption. Younger audiences are visiting news websites less frequently and are increasingly getting news through algorithms. This is changing not only how content is delivered, but also the logic of how it is produced.
According to the same study, around 40% of users under the age of 25 use TikTok as a source of news. For many, it is not an additional channel but the primary one. Newspapers and evening news broadcasts are more a habit of their parents than a personal choice.
A 2023 study by the Pew Research Centre found that one in three young Americans regularly get news through TikTok. The platform is turning into a media space with its own order of authors and topics.
Problem of credibility
The main risk is speed. A video lasts a few dozen seconds but can shape opinions for months. The algorithm promotes emotional content rather than verified information.
During major international crises in 2022, researchers recorded a surge of disinformation in short-video formats. Content spread faster than it could be disproved. Fact-checking simply could not keep up with virality.
The algorithms create an information bubble. Users see not the full range of opinions, but content that reinforces their existing views. As a result, news becomes a confirmation of emotion rather than a prompt for analysis.
New journalism or new packaging?
Professional newsrooms are already adapting. The BBC launched an active TikTok presence back in 2021, recognizing that audiences were moving toward faster, more visual platforms.
The format demands a different approach. Journalists on camera speak simply, without long introductions. The camera is closer, the speech shorter, the editing sharper.
At the same time, the core principle remains the fact-checking. This is what distinguishes a professional account from a blogger who merely retells rumors. The dividing line is not the length of the video, but professional standards.
Impact on society
When news is compressed into one minute, it becomes simplified. Complex topics such as economics or legislation are presented in fragments. This makes information more accessible, but at the same time reduces depth of understanding.
On the other hand, TikTok engages people who previously had no interest in news at all. Users come for entertainment and stay to watch an explanation of a political decision. This broadens the audience, even if it changes expectations.
Between degradation and evolution
It is too early to speak of complete degradation. Media history has already seen the transition from print to television, and then to the internet. Each time, accusations of oversimplification followed and each time journalism adapted.
The issue is not the platform, but the standards. If newsrooms uphold verification principles, TikTok becomes a new channel for delivering information. If reach alone becomes the priority, short videos turn into noise.
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