Why does Gen Z get news from influencers? The simplest answer is that influencers live where Gen Z already lives: on social and video platforms. In the Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report, 54% of people in the United States said they accessed news through social media and video networks, ahead of TV news at 50% and news websites or apps at 48% for the first time. Across 48 markets, social and video networks were the main news source for 44% of people aged 18 to 24 and 38% of those aged 25 to 34. News itself is also becoming more visual: in the U.S., weekly online news video use rose from 55% in 2021 to 72% in 2025. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk)
But platform choice is only part of the story. Influencers often make news feel easier to understand and less formal. A 2025 Reuters Institute study says many successful news creators explain complicated issues in simple, accessible ways for younger audiences, often using storytelling styles shaped by social media. The same report notes that younger users often accept a wider idea of “news,” mixing politics with commentary, memes, entertainment, and lifestyle content. Pew’s 2024 research found that 37% of Americans aged 18 to 29 regularly get news from influencers, and among people who do, 72% of those in that age group say influencers help them understand current events better. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk)
TikTok shows how this works in practice. Pew found in June 2024 that only 15% of TikTok users say news is a major reason they use the app. Even so, people still absorb news there while scrolling. Among Americans who regularly get news on TikTok, 68% say they get it from influencers or celebrities, almost the same as the 67% who get it from news outlets or journalists. And 35% say the news they get on TikTok is mostly news they would not have seen elsewhere. Pew also found that among Americans who get news from influencers, 58% follow at least one such creator, while many others seem to encounter this content through algorithmic feeds rather than deliberate choice. (pewresearch.org)
Still, speed and personality do not always mean reliability. Reuters reports that 58% of people worldwide worry about what is real and fake online. When they want to check suspicious information, people are more likely to turn first to trusted news outlets, official sources, and fact-checkers than to social media. So Gen Z is not simply rejecting journalism. More often, it is entering the news through a different door: one that is faster, more personal, and built for the phone screen. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk)










