Is accessible news turning Gen Z ignorant?
With young people getting most of their news from social media, their political interests are being swayed by algorithms and a limited exposure to diverse perspectives.
In recent years, the number of people for whom social media is their go-to news source has soared, with 44 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds using Instagram for this very reason.
These platforms — originally intended to be for meme-sharing and photo-posting alone — are now overrun with current affairs and political content, which is fostering an interest among users and which they can repost to their stories if, of course, they agree with it.
On the one hand, this is a good thing, especially for those less likely (or with less time) to scour digital publications, find the right (or Left) political podcasts to listen to, or, if they’re feeling particularly antique, thumb through a newspaper.
By choosing ‘don’t limit’ instead of ‘limit’ in Instagram’s settings, you can guarantee that political content is enabled and will show up on your feed, as well as scroll through news that’s trending the highest.
So you can rest easy in the knowledge that you have a better idea of what’s going on now than you…
