Nearly half of TikTok users say they use the platform to keep up to date with the news, according to a US report. The Chinese social network is rising up the ranks as a preferred platform for news, particularly for Gen Z users, and could be capable of overshadowing Facebook and X in the near future.

TikTok has risen to become the third most popular social media platform for news among its users, behind Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Its transformation has been rapid, since 18 months ago, the platform was in fifth place, behind YouTube and Instagram, according to a study conducted by Morning Consult, carried out between July 2022 and December 2023, on a sample of 2,200 American adults. As such, the Chinese social network has found its place among the platforms traditionally used by internet users to keep up with the news around the world.

According to the report, 47% of TikTok users say they get news from the app, compared to 30% in July 2022. Younger generations have become more accustomed to using this social network to follow the news. Indeed, Gen Z users have the biggest appetite for this kind of content. While 43% of them used the application for news in July 2022, some 61% do now. And it's a similar story for Millennials, up from 37% to 53%.

In this US presidential election year, TikTok could play an important role in the American youth vote, given the platform's influence. Both Democrats and Republicans are more numerous in saying they use the app for news.

Greater trust in TikTok?

TikTok thus surpasses YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat in terms of the share of users who say they get news from the platform, according to Morning Consult. While Facebook is still in the lead, the Meta group's social network is not growing as fast as its competitors (54% of its users get news from the platform, compared with 53% in July 2022). X follows in second place, despite repeated scandals and moderation issues.

So does TikTok's rise go hand in hand with a growth in trust among internet users? Despite a problem with the collection of its users' personal data, the platform has strengthened trust among its American users, gaining nine points between July 2022 and December 2023. However, the older social networks, like X and Facebook, have also seen an upturn in trust, while Snapchat and Instagram seem to be faltering slightly.

"Trust is hard to earn, but crucial in helping brands weather scandals. TikTok has been heavily investing on this front, with CEO Shou Chew saying just last week that the company will spend $2 billion on trust and safety, doing so with its content moderation force of 40,000, which is similar in size with Meta’s and much larger than X and Snapchat's," the report explains.

Many media outlets have already understood the business case for TikTok, with several of them already using the application to distribute their content.

 - AFP Relaxnews