A study of news readership in America from the Pew Research Center found that 62% of those surveyed use social media rather than traditional news media to keep up on the latest events. This is a sharp increase from 2012’s 49%, indicating that social media is quickly becoming the world’s go-to news platform.

Here’s a look into 2016’s top trends:

Business man working on digital tablet

Facebook Generates the Most Leads

67% of Americans use Facebook, and 44% use the social network as a news source, making it the most popular news and social media platform. YouTube comes in second, with 10% using it as a news source. In comparison, only 9% of Twitter users rely on the site for their news.

Reddit Has All the Breaking News

Although Facebook has the largest audience and the most readers, Reddit is the best place to find breaking news. 70% Reddit users seek news on the site, in comparison with Facebook’s 66% and Twitter’s 59%.

More Women on Instagram, More Men on LinkedIn

Women tend to use Instagram and Facebook more while men favor Linkedin and Youtube. There is also a generational discrepancy between different audiences and different platforms. Millennials prefer Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube while those in the older than 30 use Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook for their social media interactions.

Social media plays an increasingly important role in keeping the world updated on the latest news. News distributors need to consider these trends in order to reach more consumers and target them efficiently.  

Full report at Pew Research Center.