Social media applications are displayed on an iPhone. Source: AP/Jenny Kane
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New data shows how much Australians have turned away from news content, but the figures also offer clues as to what can get them back.
Australians are tired of the news.
According to the latest Digital News Report: Australia, two in five people (41%) say they’re worn out by the volume of news, a 13 percentage point rise since 2019.
It’s not hard to see why: in 2023 alone, the news was full of divisive and distressing subjects, from new wars in the Middle East to the continuing conflict in Ukraine, the contentious Indigenous Voice referendum, and climate disasters unfolding across the globe.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Professor Sora Park is a professorial research fellow at the News & Media Research Centre in the Faculty of Arts & Design at the University of Canberra. She is internationally recognised as an expert in digital media users and media policy, with a special focus on news consumers and digital inclusion.
Caroline Fisher is an associate professor at the News & Media Research Centre in the Faculty of Arts & Design at the University of Canberra. Her research interests include trust in news, regional journalism, journalist-source relations, and political communication.
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