It’s not a shock to learn that most of us get our news from social media. News consumers are developing entirely new patterns of the way they get their news based on their age. The dividing line is age 55, according to a new study from Evan Shapiro, “Media Cartographer.” In a first-of-its-kind index, he looked at how we spend our time on screens across major U.S. media platforms.
The study, that looked at hours of screentime from December 2025 to May 2026, saw people under age 55 – most of us – are turning to social feeds on smartphones to get news and information much more frequently than traditional media. Globally, YouTube wins the majority of attention in screentime across all devices for this demographic. But for consumers ages 13-34, TikTok beats out YouTube. Those over the age of 55, the study found, are going directly to local legacy media, like a TV news broadcast, to get their information.
Our Indianapolis newsrooms are transforming the way news is delivered in an effort to meet people where they are.
Shapiro argues that people under 55 overwhelmingly turn to their phones for news and information. And when they do, they are more engaged, because they are giving their undivided attention to swiping, pausing and clicking to guide the content on their phones. And that behavior is significantly more active than passively watching TV, where viewers often multitask.
Local media outlets have taken note.
News outlets expand into new platforms to reach younger audiences
Indiana’s newest statewide nonprofit newsroom, Free Press Indiana News (FPI News), debuted in June and first launched entirely on social media, because they know younger audiences get their news primarily from their social feeds. At the start of reporting each story, the newsroom staff discusses how best to tell stories on social channels and their website.
“Our Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky and Substack accounts launched June 15, while our website launched July 15,” said Lindsey Erdody, FPI News editor-in-chief. “We’ve already seen great traction with our Facebook and Instagram accounts in particular.”
In a little more than a month, FPI News has gained close to 4,000 followers each on Facebook and Instagram. FPI News is owned by Free Press Indiana, the same parent company of Mirror Indy.
“Reaching younger audiences has been a conundrum for as long as I can remember,” said Oseye Boyd, editor-n-chief of Mirror Indy. “I don’t know that anyone has it figured out, but we are intentional about working to serve this demographic.”
All of the Indy news outlets I reached out to told me they have added social media platforms to their content strategy. Mirror Indy added TikTok to their coverage offerings this year and increased the amount of content they post on YouTube. Since their launch, Indiana Capital Chronicle has also added Bluesky and Instagram accounts, in addition to their YouTube channel. The Indianapolis Recorder also has a multi-platform approach to reaching younger generations of readers.
FOX59, the only news broadcast station I spoke with, is banking on their on-demand, streaming platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire. It launched “FOX59 Now” more than a year ago to reach younger viewers because that audience is turning away from cable and satellite broadcasts, said CJ Hoyt, news director of FOX59 and CBS4.
“We have known for several years that the overall news viewing universe is shrinking,” Hoyt said. “That has naturally impacted the revenue potential for all television stations and it’s why you’re seeing more and more stations drop news altogether or stations being sold to larger companies. Producing local news is not cheap and if you don’t have enough viewers, you can’t survive in this new reality.”
“FOX59 Now” garners 7 million impressions a month on their CTV app, Hoyt said, suggesting their audience on Roku and Amazon Fire is quite large.
Local news media knows you like to watch videos on your phone
Increasing the amount of video formatted for phones, vertical videos, is also a goal at all of the local outlets I interviewed. Someday soon, short videos may become the predominant form for news delivery. In preparation for that possibility, newsrooms have been busy training reporters to tell their stories in this format.
IndyStar prioritizes vertical videos across their social platforms.
“That approach is working – the vital reporting contained in our ‘Deadly Detention’ videos reached tens of thousands of people on TikTok alone,” said Ryan Martin, executive editor, about a recent investigation.
Newsroom staff plan social content alongside everything else. They report some stories first with social distribution in mind and others with print in mind first, he said.
As a result of their effort to post more short-form videos, WFYI has also noticed increased engagement on social media from younger audiences. One member of their newsroom is almost entirely dedicated to news video production, said managing digital editor Drew Daudelin.
“A lot of our most popular video content has been extremely simple, like raw footage of a crowd reacting to a data center vote,” he said. “We’ve seen over and over that politically engaged people, including young residents in our area, are hungry to discuss these things and can use our videos as a gathering spot to do so, which is great.”
FPI News is training reporters to tell stories via social video. Editor-in-Chief Erdody said that leaning into video is no longer optional given these new consumption habits.
FOX59 and CBS4’s Hoyt said that they’ve launched an aggressive vertical video strategy for Instagram and Facebook reels, YouTube shorts and TikTok.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is catching up. That newsroom has invested in the equipment needed to do more vertical videos, said Editor-in-Chief Niki Kelly. She plans to train her staff of reporters to add longer form video content during the 2027 legislative session.
“I don’t think anyone knows the long-term consequences,” Kelly said of current news consumption patterns. “We are trying to adapt to a changing world as we go. And while we want to expand into video, I am also cautious about ensuring the additional time it takes to make these videos doesn’t cause a lapse in the quality of journalism. That is still the top priority.”
Newsrooms try to capitalize on the rise of reporter personalities
Today’s journalists must combine several skills to be effective. Not only must they be strong, credible writers and nimble reporters, they must also be well-connected to sources throughout the community and have a vibrant social media presence.
You might have noticed that after some prominent reporters get laid off from their news organizations, they take their expertise to Substack where they build new audiences and turn their individual brands into money-making ventures.
Local news media hope to emulate this pattern, capitalizing on the popularity of their journalists through in-person events and by leveraging their reporters’ social media audience.
“A lot of our strategy will rely on our anchors, who already have a built-in relationship with the audience,” said Hoyt. “They are best positioned to expand our reach beyond traditional broadcast news viewers.”
IndyStar is building relationships with its audience and the public through its newsletters and in-person events like its mobile newsroom and by hosting community events. Executive editor Martin doesn’t see negative consequences as a result of this new consumption pattern, only opportunities.
“We’re reshaping our newsroom for the future by hiring journalists who report and produce across video, social and digital platforms,” he said. “IndyStar has become more agile in how we package stories, more data-informed about what resonates and more skilled in cross-platform storytelling. That’s how we stay relevant and vital to our community long-term.”
Mirror Indy staff also attend a variety of in-person events, like IndyStar staff, as a way to engage with audiences of all ages and backgrounds, Boyd said.
“We can’t remain stagnant,” she said. “That means we can’t think that what’s popular today will be popular tomorrow or next week. We will continue to evolve with the social trends of the day by watching changes in audience behavior and through professional development.”
Implications for news consumers and news organizations
Local newsrooms are paying attention to the ways in which the public now gets its information. For news consumers, this implies more accessibility to multiple news sources as more news outlets beef up their social media offerings.
But there’s a downside. Social feeds are noisy places with lots of information. Sometimes it’s difficult to sort the valuable information from the junk.
What’s news? What’s entertainment? And what’s junk? Can you tell the difference? Is there enough quality news to keep you adequately informed?
Daudelin at WFYI crystalizes this idea, which can be applied to all local outlets:
“I think our biggest challenge is simultaneously making content that fits and competes with all the hyper-engaging things posted around us, while maintaining the depth and integrity that gives our newsroom value and purpose in an increasingly chaotic media environment,” he said. “It’s a balance that feels both incredibly complicated and totally necessary for public media to survive.”
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