Social Media Exposing Australians to Wider Array of News Sources: Study

A new study reveals how Facebook reshaped Australia’s news diet, just as Meta threatens to pull the plug on it.

The Facebook app on a smart phone in Surfside, Fla., on April 23, 2021. Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo

A detailed study of more than 86,000 Facebook posts sharing news stories has found Australians now share content from a much wider range of platforms than in the past, leading to greater diversity in the news reaching the community.

It also warns that Meta’s intention to deprioritise news on their platforms could reverse this trend and weaken the media’s role in democratic participation.