Social media is a staple of modern life. Scrolling on various platforms is a way for people to relax, discover communities, explore hobbies, and, for increasing numbers of people, stay updated on news.
Faye Fletcher, a senior at Ridge High School, uses Instagram for news, following not only The New York Times and The Washington Post accounts but also smaller creators. One creator she follows is Aaron Parnas, an American lawyer and independent journalist with millions of followers across platforms. Since discovering him five or six months ago, Fletcher has watched nearly all of his reels.
“They’re so interesting and obviously, like, trustworthy,” Fletcher said, after searching Parnas’ background on the internet.
Half of X users get news regularly on the platform, a survey by the Pew Research Center found. The percentage is less for TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram but all are above 30%. News-related content varies with opinions, satire, humor, reposted news articles, and even breaking news.
The rise reflects the increasing amounts of confidence Americans put in social media as a news source. More than 40% of adults trusted social media for their news in 2024, up from just over a third in 2016, according to Pew. The increase in trust is even more dramatic in the 18-29 age group, where more than half said they trusted social media for their news in 2024, up from 44% in 2016.
As more Americans turn to social media for information, a new group of internet personalities has arisen: “news influencers.”
“There’s no difference between journalism on social media and journalism on CNN,” Parnas said. “‘News influencer’ was coined by traditional journalists who viewed social media as a threat to their work.”
Parnas posts up to 25 videos a day, discussing issues both domestic and international.
“I take stories, whether I source myself or see it elsewhere and give credit to other folks, and just break it down in 60, 90 second hits,” Parnas said. “I’m just trying to educate specifically young people about all the craziness that’s happening in our world right now.”
Parnas said many of his videos are built on reporting from traditional outlets and journalists, which he summarizes for younger viewers. In some ways, he is much like a “news aggregator.” Additionally, he relies on primary sources such as direct posts from President Trump on social media.
As a lawyer, the necessity of accuracy is ingrained in him. “There’s no video I would put out that I wouldn’t submit to a judge,” he said.
Parnas sees his work as an extension of traditional broadcast journalism, simply adapted to a new platform. However, not everyone is fully convinced.
“News influencers are given a lot more leeway to interject opinion, or interject analysis,” said Erica Pereles, a member of the social media team at The Washington Post. “They can kind of play at the edges of objectivity and formality.”
Fletcher said she does notice a slight left-leaning bias in the topics Parnas chooses to cover — but she doesn’t see it as a problem.
“He doesn’t really state any personal opinions,” Fletcher said. “He may be biased towards the left, like, he’s still stating facts.”
However, not all social media sources try to be as accurate as Parnas. Fletcher said she sees misinformation “all the time” on social media, especially on controversial topics like the Israel-Hamas war. This is why she fact-checks what she sees on social media by comparing it to other sources online.
Despite the challenges of objectivity and accuracy on social media, The Washington Post social media editor Pereles also recognizes the advantages of news influencers, saying, “I feel like traditional news outlets can be a lot more like that if they want to reach a younger audience, that is, you know, always scrolling on these formats and understand these formats better.”
Another benefit compared to traditional forms of journalism is flexibility. Parnas posts often, emphasizing consistency.
“I record whenever, wherever, it doesn’t matter what I’m doing, and I think that’s really, really what’s different, it seems to me, from a traditional way,” Parnas said.