Just Like That: How social media is reshaping news, TV and the media landscape

The media landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, with social media and smartphones reshaping how news, TV, and information are consumed. No longer the sole source of information, newspapers and traditional television have lost their monopoly to digital platforms. India, with over 1.03 billion internet users and 500 million social media users, exemplifies this shift.

Television remains a significant medium, reaching 900 million viewers across 230 million households, but it is no longer the unquestioned center of the media universe. YouTube's 650 million monthly viewers of Shorts and over 75 million adults reached through connected television highlight the growing influence of online platforms.

The Reuters Institute's 2026 Digital News Report found that 77% of global respondents consumed online news video in the previous week, and in 45 of the 48 markets surveyed, online news video was watched by more people than broadcast television news. India is a prime example of this revolution, with 55% of Indian respondents using YouTube for news, followed by Instagram, Facebook, and X. This democratization of communication allows citizens to become their own publishers, sharing immediate and graphic evidence of events through their smartphones.

However, this new era of media also presents challenges. Context, verification, and interpretation are crucial, as a 30-second video can reveal and conceal important details, while AI-generated videos can be entirely fictitious. The paradox lies in the fact that while technology democratizes truth, it can also democratize falsehood.

The old media had few voices, but the new media has too many, and the challenge for the future will be to ensure that this abundance does not compromise judgment, verification, and ethical standards.