MARCH 6, 2025 | OPINION By Fiona Frankel (Staff Writer)
I grew up listening to NPR in the car and with the PBS NewsHour as background noise to cook dinner and wrinkled newspapers littering the breakfast table each morning. I recognize this was an anomalous childhood experience, as most adults in the United States do not follow politics closely. There is little time in the day for the average American to sift through newspaper articles and decipher the implications of Trump’s latest executive order. Since the November election, more Democrats than Republicans have been stepping away from political news, emblematic of the growing moral dilemma that those on the left face. Since the inauguration, every day is another bombardment of startling headlines, increasing voter burnout and exhaustion.
At Colorado College — an institution with a relatively civically engaged student body — the intensity of the Block Plan, inclination towards extracurricular activities and a myriad of other factors push students toward the most accessible options for information on current events. Like most young people, that often manifests in videos on TikTok and Reels on Instagram as one’s main source of political information. According to a Pew Research Center study from last fall, four out of 10 young adults now regularly get news from TikTok.
Though startling for many older generations to hear, this is not necessarily a negative development. Nearly every news organization, regardless of partisanship, has a TikTok account and posts frequently. This often comes in the form of sound bites from evening talk shows, which populate Fox News’ account or videos of the most significant recent moments in politics, as The New York Times page displays. The Washington Post makes user-friendly satirical videos and informational recaps and even posted a humorous video in 2020 explicitly stating their reach towards young people through TikTok rather than “traditional media.” NowThis Impact, a progressive social media organization, is specifically designed to address left-wing issues in concise, digestible videos that keep followers up-to-date on the headlines.
Politicians have also joined in on the social media bandwagon. Former North Carolina Congressman and current state Attorney General Jeff Jackson garnered a massive social media following through short, explanatory videos addressing the latest congressional news and political events. Jackson later voted in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act which sought to ban TikTok.
With the presence of news organizations on social media rather than independent content creators populating the current events information space, is relying on TikTok and Instagram really so different from newspapers and broadcast television?
The commodification of the news cycle is an inherent deterrent from the latter options for most Americans. It is both easier and cheaper to open an app than to subscribe to the paper. An “All Access” subscription to The New York Times costs $25 every four weeks, while The New Yorker “bundle” option has a nearly $200 annual fee. Additionally, both college students and those in the workforce have little free time to spend reading lengthy articles while deciphering the complex language of print journalism. Political social media content is often flashy and dramatic, with a noisy comment section stoking the flames. It is no surprise that this option is far more appealing to many, especially young people, who opt for palatable content that often targets their engagement in a way that print journalism does not.
The issue of reliance on social media as a form of political information is multifaceted and constantly shifting, especially with the Trump administration’s inclinations toward autocracy. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, donated over one million dollars to Trump’s inauguration fund in December 2024. X, formerly known as Twitter, is owned and operated by Elon Musk. Musk is now in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency, and he is actively making efforts to substantially cut government spending.
TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, has evolved into a discreet but significant supporter of the Trump administration. Following the Supreme Court’s upholding of a ban of the app, Chew posted a video condemning the decision and praising the President: “On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users across the country, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States.” Despite the Trump administration’s initial conception of the ban and its support in Trump’s appointee-dominated Supreme Court, Chew and the administration attributed the continued availability of the app to Trump directly, displaying a notice to all users after a temporary freeze that stated, “Welcome back! Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”
The growing political bias on social media influences the type of content users are provided with, which “side” of the app a video may fall in, and what type of content receives traction and engagement. What lands on your feed is not an accident. Rather, it is dictated by an algorithm that takes into account a user’s preferences and what may successfully influence them.
In an age of decreased accountability of social media platforms, especially in the wake of Meta’s decision to eliminate fact-checking, users must understand their responsibility to approach information on these apps with skepticism and scrutiny. Americans, especially young people, continue to have little time to consume current events and often feel burdened and concerned after doing so. The propensity to check in briefly through social media or simply check out from the news altogether is understandable, especially as it pertains to one’s mental health and wellbeing.
But rather than limiting time spent reading the news, it is beneficial to consider alternatives to both social media and print journalism, all while acknowledging the spectrum of engagement. Podcasts, for example, are often short and digestible sources of information created by real journalists from legitimate news organizations. Some, like NPR’s “Up First,” provide the top headlines and short explanations daily, all within ten minutes. The New York Times “The Daily” podcast presents roughly thirty-minute episodes each morning covering different topics in current events. Vox’s Today, “Today, Explained” calls itself a “daily news explainer podcast” that combines humor and serious issues in twenty to thirty minute episodes.
Breaking news alerts from The New York Times can also help to stay current with politics, allowing one to opt in on paying attention to a certain topic if it is of interest. Social media content on current events and politics is not inherently negative. Still, it must be combined with diversified sources of information, constant scrutiny and questioning and an awareness that despite their purported goals, social media companies are not prioritizing users’ best interests.