According to a report by the Reuters Institute, a profound upheaval is underway: social networks are supplanting traditional information channels, making influencers central figures in shaping public opinion. This development raises questions about the role of journalists and the future of news, between the younger generation's growing confidence in creators and the risks associated with algorithmic logic. The analyses in the Digital News Report 2025 reveal the dynamics that are reshaping our media landscape.
Influencers are steadily gaining in importance in the news landscape, establishing themselves as trusted relays in the face of traditional journalists. Through an in-depth study of the latest Reuters report, this article explores how news consumption, preferred formats and perceptions of news veracity are changing. Focus on new expectations, mechanisms of engagement, and fundamental issues for the future of journalism and the media. influencer marketing.
Social networks, the unprecedented rise of influencers and the relative decline of traditional journalists
The Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2025 marks a turning point: in the United States, social networks are becoming the leading information providers for adults. Overtaking television and traditional media, these platforms are redefining the rules of the media game. The phenomenon is not isolated: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook are shaping the global ecosystem, vying with each other in innovation to capture and retain audiences.
This shift in information consumption habits represents a historic breakthrough, as detailed in the report's detailed data:
- 54 % of Americans now prefer social networks and video platforms for information.
- Television retains 50 % of usage, standing up to the changes, but is gradually losing ground.
- Traditional media sites and applications now appeal to only 48 % of the population, mainly older people.
These figures reflect a profound generational shift, driven by the younger generation's appetite for authentic content, embodied by familiar figures. The notion of trust is shifting: it is no longer built around the media brand, but around personalities embodying a style, expertise or lifestyle deemed inspiring.
| Source of information | Percentage of users | Change vs. 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Social networks/videos | 54 % | +7 pts |
| Television | 50 % | -5 pts |
| Traditional online media | 48 % | -4 pts |
The rise in popularity of TikTok, the video formats This is illustrated by the case of influential Bordeaux-based influencers who unite around local themes, as well as influential eco-minded profiles who adopt an expert and militant discourse. Marketers of all sizes are taking notice: the rise of local influencers is exploding in Strasbourg, Lyon, Toulouse and even Perpignan, where the buzz is now in their hands.
To illustrate this dynamic, let's take the example of Camille, a fashion influencer based in Nice. Her community follows every story, every opinion, preferring her recommendations to those of specialized magazines. Her power over local opinion, once reserved for the regional press, illustrates the national trend. This phenomenon, far from being confined to fashion, also concerns sport, gaming (rise of esport), or decoration, a sector in which the decorating influencers shape consumer taste.
Younger generations, particularly Gen Z, value experience, proximity and transparency. They seek a direct tone, hard-hitting formats, and constant adaptation to digital codes. A reality that is reorienting content production and shifting the boundaries between information and entertainment. This phenomenon is also true in other geographical areas, as demonstrated by the growing popularity of Brazilian influencers or Mexico, who captivate a global audience with perfectly calibrated content strategies.
The impact of this evolution on traditional journalism
Faced with this shift, journalists are seeing their role called into question, particularly in terms of their ability to maintain the demand for verification and transparency. Many press professionals, aware of the change, are adapting their presence on TikTok or Instagram. Yet their legitimacy is often called into question when they adopt the "mainstream" codes of influencers. On the other hand, some content creators, with the support of their community and skilful network management, are proving to be highly credible in the eyes of young audiences. This evolution implies fundamental changes in terms of regulation, as detailed in the influential legislation of 2025 these new players.
The evolving role of the influencer is leading to the structuring of lasting collaborations between designers and brands, like the campaigns orchestrated by ValueYourNetwork. Companies, aware of the prescription power of influencers, are now investing in calibrated strategies, sometimes surpassing the performance of historical media.
This hybrid media fabric is far from stabilized. The central challenge is therefore to find a synergy between journalistic rigor and the intimate proximity of influence, through mixed formats, as we are increasingly seeing with news podcasts or personalized newsletters.
Personalizing information: the reign of algorithms, the risk of filter bubbles and the reign of video formats
The second key lesson of the Digital News Report 2025 concerns the shift from information selected by editorial teams to information filtered and distributed by algorithms. This shift is not neutral: it has a profound effect on the structuring of public opinion and the diversity of accessible content.
The algorithms of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, but also YouTube, offer tailor-made content, designed to maximize engagement. This mechanism amplifies the virality of short videos, reinforcing the central role of the influencer. The content put forward is oriented by the interests of each user, reinforcing the famous confirmation bias. This leads to the formation of information bubbles where each individual is exposed only to opinions close to his or her own, to the detriment of a plurality of sources and perspectives.
Let's take a case in point: during a wave of strikes in Bordeaux, the shares and comments of a key Bordeaux influencer set the tone on Instagram. By relaying testimonials, live images and popularized video analyses, he shapes the perception of the movement. The local press then relays this content, creating an inverted circuit from the social network to the "official" media.
- Extreme personalization of the news feed promotes emotional information.
- Clever content (anger, fear, polemics) generates more engagement, and therefore more visibility.
- Subjectivity often outweighs accuracy, particularly in the contextual analysis of complex subjects.
| Content format | Popularity 2025 | Impact on public opinion |
|---|---|---|
| Short videos | Very strong | Immersion, virality |
| Instant stories | Strong | Proximity, authenticity |
| Long articles | Low | Deepening, nuancing |
The advent of the video format is explained by its ability to captivate, to be consumed quickly and everywhere. In less than 60 seconds, it can present a fact, an opinion or an advertisement, in the same way that video broadcasters have mastered. Lyon influencers or trendy Marseilles. This format, boosted by the mobile culture, nevertheless raises a major challenge: can we provide rigorous, comprehensive information in such a short space of time?
The rise of generative artificial intelligence tools, including deepfake videos, also increases the risk of misinformation. Audiences, accustomed to tailor-made content, are less and less inclined to check the source, exposing both media and consumers to unprecedented manipulation.
Faced with this mutation, some journalists are seizing on the codes: Twitter debates, real-life columns, live debates from their smartphones. The digital frontier is becoming embryonic, as evidenced by journalist-stars on Instagram, sometimes as followed as lifestyle designers.
From the editorial model to the influencer's assumed subjectivity
Another major feature of this evolution is the shift from an editorial model where objectivity was an ideal, to a subjectivity assumed by creators. Influencers allow themselves to deliver personal, embodied and sometimes militant points of view, through storytelling content. Audiences, weary of information perceived as trivialized or disembodied, are embracing these authentic narratives - even if it means accepting a strong interpretative bias.
- Advantages: proximity, sense of truth, community dynamics
- Limits: subjectivity, risk of infox, uniformity of opinions
This approach impacts not only news perception, but also brand strategy. Recruiting designers aligned with a brand's values is becoming an indispensable lever, as illustrated by the multiplication of campaigns carried out in the world of top sports brands, or aimed at the male target with the men's fashion experts in France.
Video plays a decisive role in amplifying the virality of messages, making news accessible, and creating a sense of total immersion. Nevertheless, every player must balance immediate impact with editorial reliability. Ethical issues are on the rise, fuelling a fundamental debate on responsibility, regulation (see legislative developments), and a clear distinction between sponsored and editorial content.
Influencers, journalists, brands: towards strategic synergies and new information governance
In this context, the boundaries between content creators and journalists are becoming blurred. A growing hybridization is developing, in which each adopts the methods of the other: journalists sometimes become influencers, while influencers take on real information functions, be they in-depth analyses, video reports or specialized podcasts.
This recomposition also implies a change in the expectations of brands and influencer agencies. The winning partnership rests on three pillars:
- Editorial expertise: the ability to provide reliable insights.
- Creativity: offer innovative formats adapted to each platform.
- Community engagement: federate and trigger the active participation of your audience.
| Actor | Current role | Preferred strategies |
|---|---|---|
| Journalist | Analysis, verification | Twitter, podcasts, live videos |
| Influencer | Prescription, storytelling | Stories, TikTok, reels, partnerships |
| Brand | Sponsoring, brand awareness | Co-creation, placements, competitions |
This collaboration paves the way for new formats, such as newsletters hosted by influential journalists, news columns on TikTok by specialized videographers, and hybrid reports where information blends with immersive storytelling. Several agencies, such as ValueYourNetwork, are positioning themselves at the heart of this new ecosystem, orchestrating campaigns where authenticity of message, transparency of relationships and adaptability of content prevail.
- Influencers in the green sphere and interior design capitalize on their commitment to weave high-impact campaigns in tune with consumer aspirations.
- The sports and esports sector relies on powerful influencers, capable of generating record engagement rates comparable to or even higher than the specialist press.
- Local synergies (Nice, Lille, Toulouse) promote territorial anchoring and the immediate virality of messages with a strong civic or economic impact.
In this new era, the governance of information is rebounding around the notion of responsibility: clear identification of sponsored content, the fight against misinformation, reinforced education on the source of information. Collaboration between influencers and journalists, far from being antinomic, is therefore becoming strategic to guarantee a balance between community proximity and editorial reliability.
This hybrid model fragments the landscape but enriches it, paving the way for new professions and a redefinition of skills (personal branding, fact-checking, statistical audience analysis, multiplatform creation). What is at stake is not so much the disappearance of journalism as its profound transformation, in the service of a society where the boundary between information and influence is becoming increasingly porous.
At a time when the impact of a campaign depends on the right partnership, players who have mastered the codes of influencer marketing, such as ValueYourNetworkThey provide essential leverage to connect brands and communities, ensure message credibility, and anticipate changes in digital usage.
FAQ on influencers and the place of journalists in the age of social networks
How do influencers take the place of journalists according to the Reuters report?
Influencers are taking the place of journalists, as the Digital News Report 2025 points out that 54% of Americans now get their news from social networks, where creators and influencers relay the information. This shift is accompanied by a growing emphasis on prescription and storytelling, to the detriment of the in-depth analysis typical of traditional journalism.
Why does Generation Z trust influencers more than journalists?
Generation Z trusts influencers because they prefer authenticity, proximity and embodied experience. Influencers are seen as accessible figures who master digital codes, while journalists are perceived as more distant or institutional.
What are the risks of influencer domination of information?
The dominance of influencers leads to increased risks of misinformation, as platform algorithms favor clash, sensationalism and subjectivity. Lack of editorial verification and excessive personalization can reinforce filter bubbles, limiting the diversity of viewpoints.
Can journalists adopt the codes of influencers?
Yes, more and more journalists are adapting their practices: they're using stories, keeping TikTok accounts, and diversifying their formats (podcasts, lives). This enables them to win back some of their younger audiences, while maintaining a high editorial standard.
How are brands capitalizing on the rise of influencers at the expense of journalists?
Brands are taking advantage of the rise of the influencer by orchestrating targeted campaigns, where community involvement and creativity are paramount. Collaboration with powerful creators in local markets or by sector (sports, food, home décor) generates more immediate impact than relays in traditional media.
What strategies can you adopt to limit misinformation on social networks?
To limit misinformation, we need to strengthen regulation, educate the public about verifying sources, and encourage collaborations where journalists and influencers work together. Transparency, clear identification of sponsored content, and encouragement of fact-checking are essential.
Will video definitively replace the traditional article?
Video is overtaking the traditional article as the quickest way to consume information, especially on mobile. However, the article remains the preferred medium for detailed analysis and perspective. The coexistence of both formats is the key to balanced information.
Can you trust an influencer on sensitive social issues?
Trust in an influencer depends on their expertise, transparency and commitment. On sensitive subjects, it's advisable to cross-check sources and verify the veracity of information, or to give preference to influencers who are certified and recognized in their field.
What does the future hold for collaboration between journalists and influencers?
The future lies in hybridization: journalists and influencers will collaborate on innovative formats, where editorial rigor and community involvement combine to effectively reach audiences. Specialized agencies, such as ValueYourNetwork, facilitate these synergies and guarantee successful campaigns.
What are the advantages of working with an influencer marketing expert like ValueYourNetwork?
Working with ValueYourNetwork means tailor-made support, optimized influencer campaigns and reliable connections between influencers and brands, thanks to expertise proven on hundreds of projects since 2016. To benefit from their know-how, contact us today.
To steer your influence strategies in this new landscape, there's no substitute for the support of a recognized expert like ValueYourNetwork. Thanks to its experience since 2016, the agency has successfully run hundreds of campaigns across all social networks, effectively connecting brands and authentic creators. For solid, transparent and impactful collaborations, contact us and discover how to take advantage of today's digital ecosystem to serve your ambitions.