Social Media Seen as Mostly Good for Democracy Across Many Nations, But U.S. is a Major Outlier
Most think social media has made it easier to manipulate and divide people, but they also say it informs and raises awareness.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Most think social media has made it easier to manipulate and divide people, but they also say it informs and raises awareness.
Fully 70% of U.S. adult Twitter news consumers say they have used Twitter to follow live news events, up from 59% who said this in 2015.
Younger adults in eight Western European countries are about twice as likely as older adults to get news online than from TV. They also are more critical of the media’s performance and coverage of key issues.
Only 32% of Turks said that the media is having a good influence on the way things are going in Turkey.
An analysis of the Twitter conversation on the eve of the European Union elections suggest that those social media users are divided on the value of the EU and not particularly excited about the candidates for the European Commission presidency.
Women in Saudi Arabia are planning a nationwide protest on October 26 intended to end the longstanding ban on female driving. When it comes to Saudi Arabia’s record on protecting personal freedoms, the kingdom has a poor reputation among most of 39 nations surveyed this spring.
The recent protests in Brazil reflect dissatisfaction that is, at least in part, the result of a large gap between what the public considers top priorities for the country and perceptions of how well these priorities are met.
At a time of major news developments in the Middle East and North Africa, the Arab-American media’s efforts to meet the demands of its audience have been complicated by declining ad revenue, new technology, and growing competition from Arab outlets in the Middle East and North Africa, according to a new PEJ study.
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