Social Media Becomes the Biggest News Source in Greece

The 2016 Reuters Institute Digital News Report highlights the growing importance of social media as a news source. Greece stands out as a country where social media is the primary news source, reaching 74 percent. Turkey follows closely at 73 percent, and Brazil at 72 percent. The United States, while showing a doubling of usage since 2013, lags behind at 46 percent.

In Greece, 74 percent of the population accesses news primarily through social media. Television follows at 66 percent, and print media at 31 percent. Facebook is the most important social media platform for news access in Greece, reaching 68 percent, followed by YouTube at 34 percent, Twitter at 14 percent, and Viber and Google+ at 8 percent each. A significant 47 percent of respondents access news via smartphone.

The digital era, coupled with the boom in smartphone usage, has transformed the publishing industry worldwide. Several prominent print media outlets have been forced to close due to economic unviability or have been acquired by other companies to survive. This Reuters Institute research was conducted across 26 countries in Europe, America, and Asia, surveying over 50,000 respondents.