Digital Technology Rise in News Consumption of the UK and US

By Alex7 and Kerrigan52

In both the United Kingdom and the United States, digital technology is becoming an important source of news. Mobile devices, visuals, and much more are becoming a more prominent news source in these countries.

Rapid Growth in Mobile and Tablet Use for News in the UK and the US

In both the US and UK, there has been an increase in the usage of both smartphones and tablets as a primary source of news. Between 2013 and 2014, the United States has seen a 3% growth in smartphone usage while the United Kingdom has seen a 4% growth in usage within this timespan. As for using tablets as a news source, the United States has experienced yet again a 3% growth in usage between 2013 and 2014. Though the US has seen the growth in using tablets for news, the UK has itself had a significant increase in tablet usage for news, with a 7% jump between 2013 and 2014. For both countries, they are moving away from the use of one device for weekly news, such as solely a smartphone or solely a tablet. While the US has had only a -1% change between 2013 and 2014, the UK has seen a significant -5% change in this timespan. But while these countries are experiencing an increase of usage for news of both the tablet and the smartphone, the main source of digital news for both countries is the computer, followed by a mobile device, and finally, the tablet.<iframe src="//www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/40358449" width="238" height="200" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Rise of Visual Journalism in the US, not in the UK 

While lists/stories are the primary format of news consumed weekly for each country, the United States has seen a significant rise in the format of video/audio news as a main form of news consumption. While only video/audio news comprises only 18% of the weekly news consumption in the United Kingdom, this figure is almost doubled in the United States with video/audio news totaling 34% of the weekly news consumption. This can be seen significantly in the US where services like NowThisNews and Vice News containing visual content are gaining popularity, as well as the expansion of videos by prominent newspapers such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Huffington Post and Buzzfeed 'Fun and Weird News' Rising in UK and US

Sites like these attract younger audiences and generate much of their traffic from mobile and social media. Part of the appeal is the 'fun' nature of much of the content, which is mixed with serious news stories. They found that in this category of Fun and Weird news was accessed more often than celebrity and entertainment news. It is mainly driven by younger mean and whereas entertainment and celebrity news is ready by 18-35 year old women. These sites have also been experimenting with
new 'native' advertising formats where sponsored messages appear as part of the content itself. 

Frequency of Access and Interest in News Relatively Increasing in UK, Decreasing in US

According to an online survey, the % of the United States population accessing news several times a day has decreased in each year between 2012-2014 from 60% in 2012 to 54% in 2014. In contrast,

however, the United Kingdom experienced a significant increase between 2012-2013 with 46% accessing news frequently in 2012 to 58% in 2013. This percentage has remained relatively stable into 2014 as well with 57% of the current 2014 population accessing news several times a day. Overall, the population in the United Kingdom is becoming more interested in news and more engaged while the US is not.