Pitt students report getting their news from TikTok and push notifications \u2014 but many said that\u2019s not where they decide if what they\u2019ve heard is true.<\/p>\n
Social media is the leading source of news among adults, with around 54%<\/a> of Americans getting their news from platforms such as Facebook, X, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, according to the BBC. Despite social media\u2019s role as a first point of contact with news, several Pitt students said they don\u2019t stop there. After encountering a story on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, they said they then turn to established news outlets to determine whether the information is accurate.<\/p>\n Despite its widespread use, social media has become a controversial source of information because of its potential for spreading misinformation<\/a>. A 2020 study<\/a> on COVID-19 misinformation by the Reuters Institute<\/a> found that 88% of a sample of false or misleading claims appeared on social media, compared with 9% for television, 8% for print media and 7% for websites.<\/p>\n Madison Rager, a junior pharmacy major, said she uses both Apple News and TikTok to stay updated.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get notifications on my phone, so I\u2019ll check those headlines, or sometimes if I\u2019m just scrolling on TikTok, I\u2019ll see a news headline, and I\u2019ll go look it up some more and see what it\u2019s about,\u201d Rager said.<\/p>\n Rager said she does not consider social media the best way to stay informed. Instead, she fact-checks with sources such as CNN and the BBC.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s very distorted on what you can trust and what you can\u2019t trust,\u201d Rager said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I think it\u2019s important to see what you\u2019re seeing on social media but then also do further investigation to see if it\u2019s actually true or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah-Divine Amani, a first-year finance and supply chain management major, said she primarily uses Apple News notifications to stay aware of current events. If a story interests her, she researches it further.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI just scroll down on my phone to my notifications, and there\u2019s Apple News, and it \u2026 gives you a rundown on what happened this week,\u201d Amani said. \u201cI don\u2019t really look into it that hard \u2014 I\u2019ll just read it, and then if I\u2019m interested in it, I\u2019ll do more research on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Tina Cafasso, an English professor who teaches \u201cProfessional Uses of Social Media,\u201d said Gen Z\u2019s use of social media is partly driven by a desire for \u201cauthenticity\u201d and \u201crelatability.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThrough these social media influencers, they get quick information, whether a short-form video, [or so forth], so that kind of shapes their political attitudes and behaviors,\u201d Cafasso said. \u201cThey can relate to influencers\u2019 personal stories sometimes, so it feels more like a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n Sean Dalo, a first-year biology major, said TikTok is one of his main sources of news because of its convenience.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like it\u2019s just such a quick and easy way to find info on the go,\u201d Dalo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dalo said he knows information on social media needs to be fact-checked, but he still sees the value in using the platform to be exposed to different perspectives.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t believe everything you see on social media, but it\u2019s just a source for everyone to kind of give their input on certain things,\u201d Dalo said. \u201cAnd you know, everyone\u2019s on TikTok nowadays, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Cafasso said influencers can be beneficial in keeping students informed, as long as the information is factual.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think sometimes influencers can be reliable sources if [a] political candidate is using them to get their information out and to build that authentic trust with its specific demographic,\u201d Cafasso said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although Dalo gets much of his news from TikTok, he said he does not follow specific political influencers. Instead, he verifies statements using several sources.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t really found a consistent person, because I feel like, obviously, you have to verify across multiple different sources before you want to stick to something, \u201d Dalo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jamie Embleton, a sophomore elementary education major, said social media is not the most reliable source for news but can be difficult to avoid because of what the platform\u2019s algorithm pushes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like it\u2019s a lot harder to get news elsewhere, and it\u2019s just so available to us,\u201d Embleton said. \u201cBut at the same time, there\u2019s a lot of bias with that, and it\u2019s very easy to get into a [hole].\u201d<\/p>\n