To get information, Italians use different channels and means: if for i young people of Gen Z the social represent the primary source of information, i Baby Boomers are still linked to the use of traditional media such as radio and television. Millennials are somewhere in between, combining TV with online publications. This is what emerges from the research «News consumption in the age of platforms and the role of public service» created by Ce.RTA (Centre for research on television and audiovisuals of the Catholic University) and anticipated by ItaliaOggi.
In short, the way in which we inform ourselves about what is happening in Italy and in the world changes depending on the generation to which we belong: for those born between 1997 and 2012, social media as Instagram And TikTok represent i average par excellence, while for the age group 61-79 years the news and the printed paper constitute the most authoritative sources of information. As regards the Millennials (1981-1996), however, the Internet and social media as Facebook And Youtube however, they remain central, even if television remains a reference from the point of view of trust.
Gen Z informs themselves on social networks such as Instagram and TikTok
There Generation Ztherefore, is informed mainly thanks to social mediaespecially Instagram and TikTok, by consulting the profiles of newspapers. Above all, we like news related to society as a whole: among the sources recognized as most reliable by the sample interviewed, we are also there Geopoptogether with the online newspaper Tgcom24.
The research shows that for younger people «that is the preferred information quickupdated, personalized and dynamics on a formal level”, with the news that “is received through the scrolling of the feeds on social media rather than actively searching.”
The mixed approach to information of Millennials: a mix of Internet and TV
The situation changes slightly with regards to Millennilas, i.e those born between 1981 and 1996: while on the one hand the 29-44 year olds mostly get their information online, with Sky Tg24 and the news agencies considered as the most authoritative sources, this generation “feels at the mercy of a fake, elusive, pounding information system, where they struggle to find points of reference”. And given that Millennials grew up with television, Rai «is still perceived as a reference point», while the character who became famous on TV and is now active on social media has become «the main driver of trust».
The Baby Boomers and the relationship with TV, radio and press
Finally, the Baby Boomers, i.e. the generation born during the years of economic boom (1946-1964): for this age group, the television is the medium par excellence to inform yourself and understand what is happening in the world. More generally, in addition to television, radio and the printed press also remain central: «TV, radio and press are the means capable of uniting habitease of access and a credit of trust accumulated over time that is constantly renewed, thanks to the presence of well-known and familiar faces on the small screen.” The Internet and, more generally, social media, however, still play a marginal role.
