The majority of South Africans rely on social media platforms to access news content. This is according to the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI).
Today saw the release of the results of a nationally representative consumer survey that investigates how South Africans engage with news across various online platforms.
According to the Competition Commission, the study involved 1 305 consultations, 1 182 survey respondents and 10 focus groups with 123 participants.
The survey results draw attention to the extensive use of digital platforms and shifts in behaviour driven by the convenience of accessing news online.
It forms part of the MDPMI's extensive evidence-gathering process, which commenced in October 2023 in terms of section 43B(1)(a) of the Competition Act 89 of 1998.
The inquiry was initiated because there is reason to believe there are market features on digital platforms that distribute news media content, that impede, distort, or restrict competition, or undermine the purposes of the Act, and which have material implications for the news media sector of South Africa.
The survey looks at different groups of users by age, location and language in how they access and consume news across three major digital platform types: social media, search engines and personalised news feeds.
The survey found that 77% of respondents access their news on social media platforms as a main source, with 84% of these respondents using Facebook, followed by TikTok (47%), WhatsApp (46%), YouTube (45%) and X (30%).
Some 18% of the respondents indicated using search engines (such as Google and Bing) as their main platform for news, and a further 4% using search engine personalised feeds (such as Google Discover, Google News and Microsoft Start).
Most respondents (60% to 70%) consume news across all digital platforms at least once daily, with many (28% to 38%) actively going to the platforms to look for news.
According to the survey, breaking news drives respondents to access their preferred platforms more regularly, spend more time on them, and visit with the specific intention of consuming news rather than spontaneously.
If news was no longer available on the platform, then roughly 70% of respondents would spend less time on their preferred platforms, with roughly 10% indicating they would stop using the platform entirely without news, the study found.
The commission says across all platform types, respondents more frequently read the headlines and snippets of a news article as opposed to reading the headlines only.
Roughly half of the respondents indicated the reason they do not click through to the article on the news website is that the headline and snippet provided sufficient information. Other reasons cited were that the article didn’t interest them (50%) or that they do not have time to read the full article (20%).
Apart from providing enough information, many respondents indicated that headlines and snippets were a convenient way to view news (45%), was time-efficient (roughly 38%) and that it means they can avoid having to pay for news (20%).
For those that do click through to the news articles, they did so more frequently if they had read the headline and snippet.
In terms of community news and news in local languages, 45% of respondents stated they spend more time on the platform when community news is available and 20% spend more time on the platform when news in local languages is available.
In terms of the impact that AI chatbots are likely to have on news consumption, a quarter of respondents are already using chatbots frequently for news and 57% indicated they are likely to use generative AI platforms to access news in the future.
The survey results further highlighted a growing awareness among South Africans of the importance of accurate and reliable news in today’s digital environment. Most respondents across all platforms indicated they trust the platform more when there is credible news available, and the majority agreed that the presence of credible news from reputable outlets helps reduce the spread of false information.
Share