The Changing Face of News Engagement: 3 Key Trends
As digital platforms continue to reshape how we engage with information, our news intake habits are evolving at a rapid pace. SensingSG data provides enlightening insights into these shifts, revealing how Singaporeans are getting their news and how this affects traditional journalism. In this article, we explore three key trends and what they mean for the future of news.
1. Traditional News Agencies Are Still Leading, But Facing Decline
Despite the emergence of numerous digital platforms, traditional news agencies in Singapore remain the top choice for news consumption. According to SensingSG data, respondents still rely on local online news platforms, such as CNA, TODAY, The Straits Times, and Lianhe Zaobao, to stay informed. These sources continue to hold a high level of trust, offering in-depth, verified, and professionally curated content that users have relied on for decades.
However, this dominance is under challenge. The closure of TODAY as a standalone news site, merging with CNA to offer only weekend editions, underscores the challenges that traditional news agencies face in the digital age. With more readers gravitating towards instant, bite-sized news on social media platforms, print journalism is seeing its lead eroded. As of our Q2 SensingSG data, only 13% of Singaporeans still get their news from print newspapers – and only 5% of under-30s do! – whereas 37% gravitate to digital news platforms. While these traditional news outlets still lead the way in terms of overall consumption, they are steadily losing ground to the growing popularity of social media as a primary news source, especially the younger generation.
In fact, our data from the past four quarters reveals a consistent decline in the consumption of traditional news platforms – declining by 8%. Print newspapers, television, and even radio have all seen decreases in readership and viewership. While print has experienced the sharpest drop, television and radio have also lost ground, with each registering a decline.
This shift marks a pivotal moment for traditional journalism. Established outlets must innovate to stay relevant, incorporating new formats and digital-first strategies while continuing to offer the rigorous reporting that has earned them public trust.
2. Social Media Platforms Are Rapidly Rising as News Sources for the Young
While traditional news outlets still hold the largest share, social media platforms are quickly rising as key news sources, particularly among younger Singaporeans. Recent SensingSG data shows that platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are now ranked 2nd through 5th in overall news consumption in Singapore. These platforms thrive on their ability to offer immediate, engaging content that is accessible with just a scroll. They cater to the fast-paced lives of today’s audience, especially among younger generations who prefer quick, digestible snippets of information over lengthy articles.
For Singaporeans under 30 (i.e. “Gen Zs”), social media is the preferred source for staying informed. While online news sites still rank as the top choice for this group, platforms like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok are quickly closing the gap. Instagram plays a dominant role, with 24% of respondents citing it as their primary news platform. Telegram, once a niche platform, has grown from 15% usage in Q1 to 17% by Q4. TikTok, though not the leading platform, has also seen steady growth, with 1 in 5 citing it as a news source, thanks to its personalised, algorithm-driven short videos.
Over the past four quarters, engagement on social media platforms has either remained steady or increased, in stark contrast to the decline in traditional outlets. Instagram’s dominance, alongside the rise of platforms like Telegram and TikTok, reflects this generation’s preference for quick, digestible snippets of information. However, this shift also raises concerns about the accuracy of user-generated content, as influencers and everyday users share information alongside professional journalists, often without the rigorous fact-checking that traditional outlets provide.
As Mediacorp Editor-in-Chief Walter Fernandez noted during the TODAY-CNA merger announcement, “This merger comes in a post-COVID landscape defined by a global surge in news fatigue coupled with active news avoidance. These trends have been exacerbated by changes to the algorithm of selected social media platforms to de-emphasise news by reducing its discoverability.” With platforms increasingly prioritizing viral and user-generated content over fact-checked journalism, the risk of misinformation spreading rapidly has become a pressing issue.
These dynamics force news agencies to find a balance between maintaining the quality of traditional journalism and keeping up with the immediacy demanded by today’s consumers.
3. The Struggle to Maintain Journalism’s Integrity
The rise of social media has led to an important question: what does this mean for journalism in its traditional sense? As outlined in a recent CNA commentary on the relevance of journalism in the age of social media, the industry faces increasing pressure to adapt to the digital environment. Newsrooms are compelled to produce content at a breakneck pace, often at the expense of in-depth reporting. The need to draw in readers, in an environment where attention spans are shrinking, has led to the proliferation of clickbait culture, where sensationalist headlines and shallow content are often prioritised over investigative journalism.
Despite these pressures, traditional news outlets still play a crucial role in offering well-researched and professional journalism, especially on critical issues like politics, public health, and social concerns. Platforms like CNA and The Straits Times continue to provide much-needed depth and context in an environment where social media often prioritizes engagement over facts.
Mediacorp’s decision to merge TODAY with CNA highlights the balancing act that news agencies now face. As Fernandez emphasized, the merger allows TODAY’s high-quality journalism to reach a significantly larger audience through CNA’s digital platform. However, the challenge for newsrooms remains—how to adapt to this new landscape without compromising the depth and integrity that define trusted news.
The Road Ahead for News Engagement
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, news consumption habits will likely keep shifting toward social media platforms. However, this doesn’t mean the end of traditional journalism. While platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook offer immediacy, they cannot replace the rigorous standards of professional reporting.
For news agencies, the challenge will be to innovate and find ways to remain relevant without sacrificing the credibility and trust they have built over decades. For consumers, the responsibility lies in being more discerning about where and how they get their information. The future of news may be uncertain, but the need for accurate, well-researched, and responsible journalism is as important as ever.
Blackbox Research is Southeast Asia’s leading market research agency, delivering decision intelligence on the pressing matters that matter most to the people of the region.
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