Millennials obtain news and information in remarkably different ways than past generations, according to a report released Friday by the Media Insight Project, a collaboration between the American Press Institute and the Center for Public Affairs Research at the Associated Press — National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
The social and entertainment aspect of news helps attract the majority of 18-34 year olds, the study found. Additionally, millennials are turning to more aggregated digital content to consume news.
Lou Ureneck, a journalism professor in Boston University’s College of Communication, said he has seen a lot of interest in news among both undergraduate and graduate students outside of COM.
“In my experience, students here at BU are very interested in the news,” he said. “They are engaged by the issues. They are interested in the characters. I find that we often have lively discussions in class about current events.”
The study found that the average millennial now receives 74 percent of his or her news from online sources.
Elizabeth Mehren, also a journalism professor in COM, said there are certainly more sources online than on any other platform.
“If you talk about kind of the conventional, standard, mainstream media, that whole side of the business is pretty much flailing, wondering ‘How do we do this?’” she said. “Meanwhile, there are just booming sources that are thriving, have risen up almost in spite of the mainstream media or in its ignorance, and they’re doing great.”
About two-thirds of millennials regularly pay attention to world happenings or read or watch the news, the report found. Additionally, 86 percent of millennials usually see diverse opinions through social media.
Ureneck said he is optimistic that news engagement among today’s students will rise as they become older.
“They may not be interested in the news now, but their interest increases as they get older,” he said. “Every generation has matured into the news.”
The data collected in the report suggests social networks are exposing millennials to more news than they were initially seeking. Overall, just 47 percent who use Facebook said getting news is a main motivation for visiting, but it has become one of the significant activities they engage in once they are there.
Mehren said the scope of certain online sources such as Facebook has grown exponentially in recent years.
“You’ll see that they’ve done so by being extremely current, by being way on top of things, by constantly updating their material,” she said.
Facebook was the top gateway for millennials to learn about 13 of the 24 separate news and information topics outlined in the report, including crime, science and technology and business.
Ureneck said the introduction of new technology has increased student engagement with news.
“Young people today, by virtue of social media and the web, are probably more engaged in the news than they ever were. It’s simply easier to connect to the news than it was in the past,” he said. “I find that heartening. That’s a good development.”
Peers also have a large influence on how involved the millennials are with the news, the study found. Private networks such as group texts and instant messaging are some ways in which news is spread, whereas the news could’ve been ignored otherwise.
Several students said although they usually don’t seek out news, they are exposed to it through online sources.
Jazmin Bello, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she does not necessarily care for the news, but still reads some news online to stay up-to-date.
“I usually get my news from social media such as Facebook and Twitter,” she said. “I think most college students do.”
Michael Daly, a sophomore in the College of General Studies, said most people his age solely get their news online, often based on which articles are trending on Facebook or BuzzFeed.
“People are always posting on Facebook different news articles, and I read those,” he said.
Alex Mattera, a sophomore in COM, said she gets news from social sites and recognizes the platforms’ potential to spread information.
“I’ll get my world news from Facebook and Twitter. I personally use BuzzFeed for silly entertainment news purposes or quizzes and viral videos,” she said. “We have a lot of passionate minds on campus. I’ve seen rallies and different awareness promotions trying to spread the word about world issues.”
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