According to new data from Pew Research Center, 67 percent of American adults “get at least some of their news on social media,” up from 62 percent in 2016. Facebook is most popular for news, followed by YouTube and Twitter. While percentages did not significantly change year-over-year for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and Tumblr, an increasing number of adults are turning to Twitter, YouTube and Snapchat. Interestingly, millennials do not represent all new social media news consumers. The research found that 55 percent of today’s Americans age 50 or older say they get news on social media sites, a 10 percent increase over last year.

“Forty-five percent of all American adults say they get some news from Facebook,” reports Recode. “YouTube is the next on the list, with 18 percent of U.S. adults getting news there. Eleven percent of U.S. adults get news from Twitter.”

According to Pew Research, 26 percent of adults “get news on two or more different social media sites.” Females prefer Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, whereas more males use YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Pew further explains that Twitter use has likely been impacted by a new president who frequently uses the platform, YouTube launched YouTube TV, and Snapchat has a growing list of Discover publishers including CNN, NBC and The New York Times.

However, the increase in news consumption via social platforms also raises more concerns regarding the accuracy of information.

“Many believe fake news helped influence the 2016 presidential election,” notes Recode. “Facebook, in particular, has been dealing with fake news by trying to make changes to its media policies and to its News Feed algorithm to limit the reach of fake news, or punish publishers who share it.”

Related:
An Update On Information Operations On Facebook, Facebook, 9/6/17
Fake Russian Facebook Accounts Bought $100,000 in Political Ads, The New York Times, 9/6/17
The Fake Americans Russia Created to Influence the Election, The New York Times, 9/7/17
Facebook Undermines Its Own Effort to Fight Fake News, Politico, 9/7/17