In the latest insights into its users, Twitter said news and current affairs were the top reasons people used its platform.
UP TO 85% of users gravitate to Twitter at least once a day to keep abreast of current affairs, according to the latest statistics revealed by the microblog.
In the latest insights into its users, Twitter said news and current affairs were the top reasons people used its platform.
“Whether it’s politics, world and local news, entertainment, sports, technology, or health & wellness, Twitter has become home to some of the most relevant conversations about news and current events happening around the world.”
Delving further into statistics around news consumption on the platform, Twitter said:
– 94% of people on Twitter expressed interest in current events.
– 85% of people on Twitter watched, read, or listened to the news at least once a day.
– 83% of people were on Twitter Tweet for the news.
– Three in four people who come to Twitter for news did so at least once a day.
– 55% of people on Twitter got their news from Twitter, more than other social media platforms.
– 75% of people who came to Twitter for news followed news about politics and current events.
Twitter said the platform was also being used to connect and follow news organisations and the journalists who worked for it.
“In addition to helping people learn about and share current events, Twitter facilitates the discovery of news outlets and journalists. People regularly follow news-related Twitter accounts, and more than 80% of young journalists rely on Twitter for their jobs,” the platform said.
Twitter seemingly counts the information revealed in the statistics as a win for the platform, given the negative backlash it faced globally for the potential dissemination of misinformation and fake news.
“Why is this important information to know? First, it helps us understand and better serve people’s interests. Second, it reinforces the importance of the work we’re doing to address misinformation, add helpful context to Tweets, and keep people better informed about the news they consume on Twitter,” the microblog said.
Meanwhile, Twitter and its rival social networks owned by Meta, Facebook and Instagram, and video sharing platforms TikTok and YouTube, came under fire from the US Senate Homeland Security Committee.
The committee grilled executives from the platforms over failed privacy and moderation standards in recent years. It said each respective platform, withheld “very important information”.
