Political Content and Social Media 2024

Navigating an Election Year in the Age of AI-Generated Misinformation and a New Era of News

Report by Jasmine Enberg  | Feb 16, 2024
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Executive Summary
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Social media will be at the center of the brand safety storm
A new era of news is emerging
AI will turbocharge mis- and disinformation
Platform policies are outdated and insufficient
What does this mean for marketers and platforms in 2024?
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
Social media’s relationship with news and politics is getting even more complicated in the age of AI. Brands and the platforms will face big risks and challenges as mis- and disinformation proliferate this election year.
Topics
Social Media Usage
Politics
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
United States
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Social media will be at the center of the brand safety storm
A new era of news is emerging
AI will turbocharge mis- and disinformation
Platform policies are outdated and insufficient
What does this mean for marketers and platforms in 2024?
Sources
Media Gallery

Generative AI (genAI) and misinformation are on a collision course headed straight for social media this year. Social media platforms’ insufficient protections—coupled with a surge in political marketing and the changing nature of news—will exacerbate an already fraught environment and pose major brand safety problems.

Key Question: How big is the risk of political content and misinformation for brands and social platforms in 2024?

Sources Through Which US Internet Users Think Disinformation and
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Key Stat: Close to two-thirds (64%) of US internet users said disinformation and fake news are most widespread on social media feeds—a significantly higher figure than for any other source—according to a September 2023 survey from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Ipsos.

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Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Social media will be at the center of the brand safety storm
  3. A new era of news is emerging
  1. AI will turbocharge mis- and disinformation
  2. Platform policies are outdated and insufficient
  3. What does this mean for marketers and platforms in 2024?
  1. Sources
  2. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Sources Through Which US Internet Users Think Disinformation and "Fake News" Are Most Widespread, Sep 2023 (% of respondents)US Internet Users Who Obtain Most of Their Information About News and Breaking Events Through Social Media, by Generation, March 2023 (% of respondents in each group)
US Adults Who Regularly Get News From Select Social Media Platforms, 2020 & 2023 (% of social media site users)Average Time Spent per Day on Select Social Media Platforms by US Users Ages 18-24, 2019-2024 (minutes)
Sources Through Which Internet Users in the US and Worldwide Think Disinformation and "Fake News" Are Most Widespread, Sep 2023 (% of respondents)Expectations and Behaviors of US Consumers Toward a Brand's Responsibility in Managing Its Brand Value, Q3 2023 (% of respondents)
Impact of AI on the Spread of False/Misleading Information in the 2024 Presidential Election According to US Adults, Oct 2023 (% of respondents)Level of Responsibility Organizations Have to Prevent AI-Generated False or Misleading Information in the 2024 Presidential Election According to US Adults, Oct 2023 (% of respondents)

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authors

Jasmine Enberg

Contributors

Minda Smiley
Senior Analyst, Social Media
Tracy Tang
Senior Researcher
Paul Verna
Principal Analyst