The Paw Print

By Saron Alem, News & Features Editor

Whether it be the presidential debates, political policies, or simply what is happening in the world, long-form content on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok has gained traction in educating Americans, especially youth, on current news and politics.

Various accounts exist to inform Americans on the state of politics and persuade individuals to choose one party and candidate over another. 15-30-second clips give bite-sized summaries of events like the DNC, RNC and political debates, and photo collections contain rousing calls to action.

Politicians have realized this as well: a growing number of them boast a substantial following on social media, helped along by their posts appealing to young voters in tone and editing style. Following President Joe Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Harris campaign created numerous social media posts in a funny, youthful tone meant to appeal to youngsters. Some posts included jokes about her political opponent, former President Donald Trump, and his remarks.

But is this a good thing?

The rise of social media coverage of the election has increased political awareness and civic engagement, especially in a time when many students in the Class of 2025 have found themselves able to vote for the first time. However, flaws are rife within this new form of news coverage, and it’s important that youth stay aware of these limitations to ensure they are able to form their own unique opinions on topics.

To understand these flaws, it’s critical to understand how social media news coverage works. Rarely do top-liked posts come from verified news accounts like CNN, Fox News or journalistic newspapers’ profiles. Instead, people primarily get their information from what comes up on their “feed” or “For-You” page, terms that describe platforms’ algorithmic pages that update based on the user’s interests. Furthermore, with the fast-paced nature of short-form video, the information is compressed, losing nuance and context. Together, these traits lead to the first flaw of social media as a news form:

Unclear News

Misinformation and sensationalized headlines are increasingly present on social media. It is uncommon for accounts to link their sources to their posts, leaving the responsibility to their audience to figure out what is true and what is exaggerated. However, when comparing the addictive nature of scrolling through hundreds of posts and the task of searching to see if an account is telling the truth, it’s not surprising that teens tend to choose the former.

Algorithmic Preference

Instagram Reels and TikTok as a whole use algorithms to deliver content suited to what they have determined their users will like. Thus, political news coverage can become a feedback loop where a user interacts with posts they agree with, and the algorithm learns and gives them more content in line with their views. Needless to say, this is a flawed method of political literacy; it’s important and necessary to be cognizant of all views regardless of the level to which a person agrees with them. It also eliminates the possibility of a person adjusting their views as they expand their political understanding and life values due to a lack of knowing what other views are out there.

Bite-sized Information

One of the largest algorithmic preferences is the ideal short-form video. It’s a 10-to 30-second video that doesn’t contain too much text, which could cause the audience to scroll past it, but instead features an eye-catching subtitle and a short duration designed to gain the most engagement. In this model, nuance is not considered, nor is the accuracy of the information. Simply put, social media algorithms boost the posts that will get the most engagement (i.e. likes, comments, shares and views), regardless of their accuracy. This poses a real problem, as people are most likely to see these posts that hold little value when held up to the test of scrutiny–a test that most youth forgo.

Hive Mind & Comment Mania

With the press of a button, people are able to view, typically, thousands of comments from other people with strong opinions on the post they just viewed. Often, the most polarizing opinions are at the top of the comments list, as comments are generally ordered by the number of likes they receive. This is one of the key differences between traditional news forms, like newspapers and television, where a person is alone with the thoughts they have about a presented topic. Now, comments allow youth to fall into the habit of allowing the majority opinion to become theirs as well. This reduces the cognitive load of critically thinking about every post they come across, making this an attractive option. The obvious disadvantage, though, is that eventually people will find themselves unable to differentiate between their opinions and others’, which can be a scary feeling.

Though these flaws are large and intense, the benefits are just as remarkable. There are accounts that aim to be nonpartisan, citing their sources and reporting on a wide range of topics. One such account is @impact, which, at the end of every single post, includes a list of the reputable sources they used to create the post. Another still is @aplasticplant, which posts encouraging social information such as creative slideshows and anniversaries of major pop events. As previously mentioned, politicians as well are increasingly utilizing social media to connect with youth, displaying their policies and working to increase youth civic engagement.

A major benefit of social media as news is the coverage and increased awareness of things that weren’t as accessible decades ago. Scrolling through social media might yield posts from all over the world, from protests in France, to conflicts in Gaza, to stories of child labor in China. Social media has become a powerful tool for activists and citizens to share their stories and help gain awareness of their issues. Youth have actively responded, as seen at Walter Payton College Prep, where students staged a walkout as part of the CPS-wide protest advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The critical question now is what to do with this information. The benefits and disadvantages of social media news seem to be a balancing scale, tipping one way and another as each day moves forward. The algorithmic nature of this news doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, and yet as the young grow up their political engagement increases in turn. The best thing to do, as a consumer of news on social media, is to keep these tips in mind:

1. Don’t take everything you see as fact. Look for the sources provided, and if there are none, research to fact-check suspicious posts.
2. Be wary of engaging in confirmation bias. Test your beliefs against others’ and ensure the information you consume doesn’t only confirm what you think is correct.
3. Filter out bad posts. Scroll past posts that are obviously looking for engagement, such as rage bait or posts with sensationalized, unreal titles.
4. Support your consumption by looking at traditional and reputable news sources on occasion.

By keeping these flaws and tips in mind, youth can learn to mindfully use social media as a news source while avoiding misinformation. Social media as news can be sustainable, or it can become a hive-minded, inaccurate source—it’s up to the consumer to determine what path their news will take.