There are clear gaps between what young consumers want from the news and what is being provided by news producers, according to new research conducted by FT Strategies in partnership with the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University and the Google News Initiative.
Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 18-25 year-olds in the US, India and Nigeria, the Next Gen News report uncovers emerging behavioural trends and consumption modes unique to the next generation, and offers insights for news producers to meet the needs of these consumers in 2030.
“Young people have a complex and evolving relationship with the news. They understand the value that news can play in their lives, but are often disinterested or frustrated with how it's being delivered to them,” said Joanna Levesque, managing director of FT Strategies. “We hope that news producers can use the findings from our research to start building closer relationships with the next generation of news consumers today.”
According to the research, the next generation exhibits distinct news behaviours, such as digital simul-tasking (transitioning between dissimilar tasks while they’re on their phones) and a focus on filtering through trusted networks. The research also characterises what the next generation values from the news in the form of the Ideal News Experience framework, which identifies the most important factors to the next generation and explores what news producers can do now to begin closing the gap.
“The next generation wants to feel seen and represented by the media industry. News producers can start delivering on the news needs of the next generation now, whether it’s through building affinity with these audiences, developing social-friendly content, or giving hope and empowering action,” said Jeremy Gilbert, knight professor in Digital Media Strategy at Medill.
“More deeply understanding how the next generation is consuming news gives crucial insights into how we might address news consumers’ needs in the future. Embracing change, working together and meeting the moment we’re in will be absolutely crucial to our shared work of helping to build more informed communities everywhere,” said Kristina Anderson, managing director of Global News Programs at Google.
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