Print media was once the main source of news across the world but digital revolution has changed the way people communicate and disseminate information. According to Reuters Institute India Digital News Report, online news generally and social media specifically have outpaced print as the main source of news among respondents aged under 35 in India, while those over 35 still mix online and offline media to a greater extent. The study has found out that a whopping 68 percent of the respondents consider smartphones as the main device to access online news. More than half of the respondents, who use Facebook and WhatsApp, said that they get news from these social media platforms, while the percentage is lower among Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Messenger users. The report is based on data collected from a survey of English-speaking online news users in India, so it may not give an accurate pattern of online news readers in the country but it is obvious that the penetration of smartphones into rural areas and rapid improvement of internet connectivity have changed the way people distribute and access news today. The country experienced the highest growth in internet usage in the world last year and added nearly 10 crore internet users.
However, a series of untoward incidents, including mob lynching and murder happened in India in 2018 because of viral fake news and false rumours being circulated on social media. Unfortunately, bogus content, including morphed and old ones continue to make its way into the messaging apps and first-time users usually fall victim to such hoax. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find out what is real and what is not even for seasoned internet users today with all sorts of content being randomly fed onto the screens of digital devices. This is why many doubt content shared on social media and some online portals. The Reuters Institute India Digital News Report also said that most Indians are worried whether news they come across on websites is real or fake; concern over hyperpartisan content and poor journalism; and widespread worries about different kinds of disinformation. Irrespective of whether or not social media content holds credibility, traditional media — print and electronic – in India could be hit hard as internet penetration (more than the present 41 percent) improves over the next few years. But at the moment, there is no medium of communication that can take the place of traditional media in terms of credibility. A lot of time and energy is put into writing even a small report as it requires information collection from sources and verification.
