The media habits in Kenya have never been changing as rapidly as they currently are and now social media is becoming the most popular source of news in the country.
This is in view of the State of the Media Report 2024 by the Media Council of Kenya, which is a clear indication of how Kenyans and more particularly the youth are transforming the information consumption trend.
According to the analysis conducted on all 47 counties, the report has indicated that television (25.6) and radio (23.1) are important, but social media has taken the front line with 24.3 percent of total platform consumption.
Worse still, when Kenyans were questioned on where they receive their news first, social media took the lead by 37%, a drastic increase compared with only 18% in 2023.
The figures indicate that there is a gradual reduction in the case of traditional broadcasting.
TV became unpopular with 62% (14 percentage point decrease over last year), and radio became unpopular with 57% (75 percentage point decrease over last year).
Newspaper readership was also on a further decline, with more people seeking updates and real-time news on social sites.
These results are reflective of trends in the rest of the world as individuals shift to streaming platforms, podcasts, and online content.
The report states that TV is still popular but is gradually losing its audience, and the platform of social media sites is gaining popularity as the primary source of news and entertainment.
Though it was disrupted, there was a general improvement in trust in the media.
There was also increased awareness of new technologies, in particular artificial intelligence, which changed the way in which news is being consumed by the audience.
Among the people who heard about AI in the media, 69.3% reported that AI made a positive impact on their experience in accessing or consuming content.
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The quick digitalization has raised questions about misinformation and disinformation, which the respondents pointed out as the most urgent problem.
The report also noted that constitutional provisions that provide access to public information are underused by journalists when dealing with a public interest story.
Media Council of Kenya (MCK) indicates that it will employ such results in making future reforms within the sector.
CEO David Omwoyo Omwoyo, MBS, highlighted the role of the Council in utilizing the insights of the report in facilitating dialogue, enabling reforms, and empowering training and capacity-building efforts in the media industry.
