The Role of News on Facebook

On Facebook, the largest social media platform, news is a common but incidental experience, according to an initiative of Pew Research Center in collaboration with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Overall, about half of adult Facebook users, 47%, “ever” get news there. That amounts to 30% of the population. Most US adults do not go to Facebook seeking news out, the nationally representative online survey of 5,173 adults finds. Instead, the vast majority of Facebook news consumers, 78%, get news when they are on Facebook for other reasons. And just 4% say it is the most important way they get news. However, the survey provides evidence that Facebook exposes some people to news who otherwise might not get it. While only 38% of heavy news followers who get news on Facebook say the site is an important way they get news, that figure rises to 47% among those who follow the news less often. “If it wasn’t for Facebook news,” wrote one respondent, “I’d probably never really know what’s going on in the world because I don’t have time to keep up with the news on a bunch of different locations.” These are some of the findings of the survey, examining the role of news on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Among other key findings in this report:

  • Facebook news consumers still access other platforms for news to roughly the same degree as the population overall.
  • News consumption on Facebook does not replace other activities.
  • Roughly half, 49%, of Facebook news consumers report that they regularly receive news on six or more different topics.
  • Liking or commenting on news stories occurs almost as frequently as clicking on links, though back and forth discussions are less common.
  • News outlets rank low in the reasons Facebook news consumers click on news links.
  • Facebook news consumers who “like” or follow news organizations or journalists show high levels of news engagement on the site.
  • As with US adults overall, only a minority of Facebook news consumers say they prefer news that shares their point of view.
  • Among US adults, the desktop/laptop computer is still the primary way most adults access Facebook.

The Role of News on Facebook