Twitter Top Source for Breaking News on Social Media: Survey

Advertisement
By Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: 3 September 2015 19:02 IST
Among all social networking platforms, micro-blogging site Twitter is the top source for users when it comes to breaking news, a new online survey of more than 4,700 social media users has revealed.

Nearly nine in 10 Twitter (86 percent) users in the survey said they use Twitter for news, and the vast majority of those (74 percent) do so daily.

"Roughly the same number of people reported that they use Twitter to be alerted to breaking news (40 percent) as to keep up with the news generally (39 percent)," said the survey conducted by the American Press Institute and Twitter in collaboration with research company called DB5.

Advertisement

Twitter users tend to be heavier news consumers than other social media users.

"News, indeed, is one of the primary activities that they engage in on the network. Twitter users also tend to be younger than social media users in general," the findings revealed.

Advertisement

Three-quarters of Twitter news users follow individual journalists, writers and commentators (73 percent) and nearly two-thirds follow institutional accounts (62 percent).

Twitter users also are very likely to discover new journalists and writers and consequently follow their work, often on other platforms beyond Twitter, the survey indicated.

Advertisement

The Twitter users tend to use the service heavily - several times a day - and their use of the network is increasing how much news they consume.

"Almost all Twitter users are also consumers of other forms of news media," a statement by the American Press Institute read.

Advertisement

While Twitter users follow news in general on the service, and sometimes do so just as a way of passing time, they act differently when they are following breaking news.

They become more participatory - commenting, posting and sharing at moments when events are moving fastest.

"All of these offer signals for how news publishers can make more effective use of social networks in general and Twitter in particular," the results showed.

Nearly 94 percent of Twitter news users get their news either through scrolling their timelines or browsing tweets of those they follow.

Other features are used far less often. For instance, just 34 percent of Twitter news users say they get news from trending topics and 30 percent use search.

About 82 percent of Twitter users access the platform on their phones and many access Twitter across multiple devices.

The findings come at time when Twitter is increasing its emphasis on news and making tweaks that may affect publishers' strategies, the authors concluded.

 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Further reading: Social, Social Media, Twitter
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. PhonePe Launches UPI 123Pay for Feature Phones Across India
  2. Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max Appears on Geekbench With Xring O3 Chip
  3. Vivo T5 5G Key Specifications Confirmed Ahead of September 2 India Launch
  4. Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Will Go on Sale in India Soon, Microsites Confirm
  5. Here's Why the Google Pixel 11 Series Will Not Get GrapheneOS
  6. Redmi 17 5G Will Launch in India On This Date: See Colourways, Specs
  7. Philips 5G Smartphone Set to Launch in India on This Date
  8. The Blood of Dawnwalker Review: Rebel Wolves' Gothic RPG Delights and Disturbs
  1. Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max Appears on Geekbench With Xring O3 Chip
  2. Philips 5G Smartphone India Launch Date Confirmed: Here’s What We Know
  3. Boltt Reveals Software Update Policy for Ace 5G and Evo Ahead of September 1 Sale
  4. Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra Allegedly Listed on Geekbench With MediaTek Dimensity 9500 Chipset
  5. NPCI to Soon Allow Users to Port UPI AutoPay Mandates Across Digital Payments Platforms: Report
  6. PhonePe UPI 123Pay Enables UPI Payments Without Internet on Feature Phones in India
  7. Vivo T5 5G Key Specifications Teased; 7,050mAh Battery, Dual Rear Cameras Confirmed
  8. Anthropic’s Claude Closes 85 Percent of AI Safety Gap in Automated Research Test
  9. OpenClaw 2.0 Released as Biggest Update Since Launch; Brings Shared Cloud Sessions, Smarter Automations
  10. Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Set to Go on Sale in India Soon as Multiple Microsites Go Live
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.