As 2025 unfolds, how Americans interact with news has shifted firmly out of the hands of traditional publishers and into digital ecosystems shaped by algorithms, influencers and AI tools. What began as a slow drift to digital has become a wholesale transformation of the public information landscape.
If you want to know how Americans are interacting with news in 2025, you need only look at their phone screens. The news no longer breaks on late‑night bulletins or morning front pages—it breaks in feeds.
According to Pew Research’s Social Media and News Fact Sheet 2025, 38% of U.S. adults now regularly get their news from Facebook, 35% from YouTube, and 20% each from TikTok and Instagram. Among TikTok users, the figure soars: 55% say they regularly consume news on the app, up from only 22% five years ago.
Where the news really lives
Each platform serves a distinct audience. Facebook remains dominant among older and middle‑aged readers, while YouTube’s blend of explainer journalism and video essays appeals across generations. Instagram and TikTok are where younger Americans seek updates in short, fast‑moving bursts of visual news, often guided by creators they follow more closely than traditional anchors.
This shift is not just generational—it’s structural. Algorithms now act as editors, tailoring newsfeeds to taste and temperament. As one study from the Reuters Institute notes, video-first consumption is now the global norm; 72% of Americans report weekly use of video news content, often delivered through social or AI‑curated feeds.
The pros and cons
The availability of instant video news means more people than ever can see and respond to events as they happen. Social media has democratised access, given marginalised voices visibility, and encouraged civic participation. Yet it has also blurred the line between verified reporting and algorithmic opinion.
Facebook’s reduced human fact‑checking and the surge of AI‑generated “filler” content have made it harder for audiences to discern what’s authentic. On platforms like TikTok, half the audience reportedly pays more attention to creator commentary than legacy media posts.
What this means for legacy media
Legacy titles are still fighting their corner—but against headwinds. Print newspaper circulation in the U.S. has dropped from nearly 56 million in 2000 to below 25 million, with advertising revenue falling from $49 billion to under $9 billion over the same period. Even digital-native expansions can rarely match the reach—and algorithmic immediacy—of short-form influencers.
Some publishers have faced 15–25% year‑on‑year declines in local ad revenue, as audiences migrate to platforms that deliver free, personalised news.
This is not extinction so much as evolution. The future likely lies in hybrid publishing models: legacy media maintaining high editorial standards while adapting storytelling to social formats and partnering with creators for broader reach.
The AI accelerant
Artificial intelligence has already become the unseen editor of the digital newsroom. From caption‑writing and automated summaries to real‑time voice and video generation, AI now dictates the rhythm of how stories are found and framed. The Reuters Digital News Report 2025 found that AI‑generated summarisation features are altering referral traffic for publishers as audiences increasingly consume information within platforms instead of visiting original sources.
Weekly use of AI for accessing news doubled this year, overtaking AI‑assisted content creation. News videos, meanwhile, continue their meteoric rise: social video consumption jumped from 52% in 2020 to 65% in 2025.
Looking ahead
If the pattern continues, social and AI‑driven platforms will soon define not just how Americans consume the news but what counts as news. While legacy editors once guarded the gate, the gatekeeper role now rests with code—ranking, recommending, and reshaping whatever story holds our gaze the longest.
The question isn’t whether platforms or AI will dominate future news consumption. It’s how both can coexist with transparent, accountable journalism. If the news once asked readers to stop and think, the news of 2025 asks them to scroll and decide.
“In the digital landscape now forming, truth still matters—but attention still wins.”
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