Part IV: The Future of News

As teenagers become adults, their behaviors naturally shift. They read different books, watch more mature shows, and develop new habits. It's not uncommon to see a clear transformation in the way one thinks between adolescence and early adulthood. This article, the final installment in a four-part series exploring social media and its influence on teenagers, examines how teenagers may view social media as they grow older. The analysis draws on the same poll of 50 anonymous high school students used in all three previous pieces in this series. Respondents were asked whether they would continue to use social media as a news source as they grew into adulthood. Nearly half of respondents, 44%, said 'maybe,' with around a third responding 'yes' and the remaining responding 'no.' This data suggests that while teenagers use social media as a news source now, many expect to continue using it as such into adulthood. Multiple students were also interviewed about the question, and responses varied. One student noted that things could change and raised the possibility that social media could look very different in just the next few decades. I do think that things will change; I think things evolve, and I think there will be new ways of getting news. If everything remains the same, I will use social media, but things could change. Another student was quite uncertain about how they would shift as they got older. They stated that they intended to keep a mix of both traditional news sources and social media. I think as I grow older, I don't know. Because the world right now might shift away from traditional media into social media because of the rise in social media and all that. But I think I'm going to try to keep it a mix of both. A final student, who did not use social media, thought they would likely use it as a news source in adulthood. I think I'm going to [use social media] probably. I mean, obviously, I'm going to see news when I get social media. I will probably end up using it, even if subconsciously. Overall, the data and opinions were varied on this subject. Four in five students responded either 'maybe' or 'yes' when asked whether they would use social media into adulthood, but interviews with students revealed a far more complex issue. Social media may look very different years from now, and that may influence how students use it. If social media is more news-centric in a decade, students may use it primarily for news, while if it remains focused on personal content, students may turn to traditional sources for news. Either way, how it is used could very well see major shifts in the coming years. The Civic Deskwould like to thank you for reading this four-part series covering the influence of social media and news on teenagers. A lot went into these four articles, including a comprehensive poll of students and multiple interviews. We hope you continue to read our publication in the future.