Social media use has increased in emerging and developing nations in contempo years. And, across the xi emerging economies surveyed for this report, a median of 28% of adults say social media are very important for helping them continue up with political news and other developments happening in the globe.

Pluralities of social media users in most countries find the information they get on these platforms to be more up to date, informative and focused on issues important to them than what they get from other sources.4 Large majorities of social media users in most countries as well say they regularly meet articles and other content that innovate them to new ideas.

At the aforementioned time, opinions are divided when it comes to the reliability, bias and hateful nature of social media content when compared with other sources. And when asked about the kinds of textile they run into on these sites, majorities in about countries report at least occasionally seeing content that seems obviously false or untrue or that makes them experience negatively about groups unlike from them. Beyond almost all these measures, those who say social media are very of import sources of political information see these platforms in unlike – and oftentimes more extreme – terms than other social media users.

Even as social media utilise has go more common in many emerging countries, in only four of the 11 countries surveyed do a majority of people say these platforms are an of import source of political information – and nowhere does a bulk say social media are very important for learning nearly politics. All told, a median of 28% of adults say social media are very important for helping them keep upwardly with political news and other developments happening in the world.

In every country, many fewer people say social media are very important for helping them keep up with political events than say the same about a more traditional form of social networking – having discussions in person with people they see regularly. In every land but United mexican states, a bulk says in-person discussions are an important way they stay informed. Around four-in-ten or more in nearly countries say these conversations are very important.

Chart showing that in most countries included in the survey, in-person discussions are seen as more valuable for keeping up with political news than social media.

Some of the reason people place less importance on social media might stem from the fact that social media use can vary widely beyond these 11 countries – from a low of 31% in Bharat to a high of 85% in Lebanon. But even among those who use these platforms, simply in four of the xi countries surveyed (South Africa, Tunisia, Venezuela and Republic of kenya) do about one-half or more social media users say these platforms are very important sources for helping them keep upwards with political news and global happenings.

In every country, younger and more educated people are more than probable to say social media are very important to them for political news.5 Notwithstanding, in many instances this is largely due to high levels of social media adoption among the young and more than educated. Among those who say they use social media, people with higher and lower levels of instruction are equally likely to say these platforms are a very of import source of political news in 7 of these 11 countries, and the same is truthful of older and younger social media users in half-dozen countries.

If yous oasis't watched the news today, at least y'all tin can yet watch it on Facebook.Homo, 40, PHILIPPINES

Publics in these countries more than likely to trust political information from in-person conversations than from social media

More broadly, relatively few adults in these countries say they trust the data they get from social media platforms. Among all adults, a median of 35% trust the political news they get on social media, including a median of but x% who trust information technology a great deal. Amid the subset of adults in these countries who apply social media, an 11-country median of 55% say they trust the data they notice on social media at least somewhat – ranging from highs of about 7-in-10 in the Philippines, Kenya, Bharat and Venezuela to lows of less than half in Colombia and Mexico. Few users in most countries trust the news they get on social media a great bargain – varying from only 8% of Jordanian social media users to 31% of Kenyan users.

Chart showing that larger shares in the surveyed countries trust news they get from others in person than those who trust what they see on social media.

These levels of trust stand up out in comparison with the faith people place in the data they get together from face-to-face conversations with people they run into regularly. When it comes to in-person conversations, a median of 72% of adults say they trust the information they glean from these discussions, and in eight countries, around a quarter or more than say they trust the information a great deal.

Social media users regularly see wrong information and content that makes them feel negatively nearly other groups

Social media users report a mix of positive and negative experiences related to the content they meet on these platforms. This survey asked well-nigh the frequency with which people encounter 3 specific types of content on social media: content that introduces them to new ideas, that seems obviously fake or untrue, or that makes them experience negatively nigh groups of people who are different from them. Although in no country practise a bulk of social media users see any of these types of content ofttimes, in many countries a majority reports seeing all of them at least occasionally.

A median of iii-quarters of social media platform and messaging app users say they frequently or occasionally encounter articles or other content that innovate them to a new idea, ranging from more than than viii-in-x in Tunisia to almost half in Mexico. Smaller shares see this content ofttimes – around four-in-ten or fewer in almost countries.

Publics are more likely to say they regularly see content that introduces them to a new idea than to say they regularly see content that seems plain false or untrue, or that provokes negative feelings toward others. Still, majorities of social media users in most countries surveyed see both at least occasionally, including near two-thirds or more than in Tunisia, Lebanon and Vietnam. And very few social media users say they never see content like this: A median of 17% of social media users report never seeing manufactures that brand them experience negatively toward groups of people different from them, and only 8% never see content that appears to be plain false or untrue.

Chart showing that social media users in emerging economies regularly see articles or other content that introduce them to new ideas, but many also report seeing things that are false or misleading.

Social media users who access more than one platform are more than likely than those who just use a single platform to come up across all 3 kinds of content. The differences are particularly large in Lebanese republic: 83% of Lebanese who access multiple social media sites regularly come across articles that seem plain faux or untrue, compared with only about one-half (48%) of those who use a unmarried site. In Tunisia, on the other hand, access to multiple platforms is not linked with someone's likelihood of coming across these kinds of content.

Table showing that social media users in emerging economies who are connected across multiple platforms are more likely to see both positive and negative content on social media.

These differences in platform apply are themselves related to social media users' age and education. Older and less educated social media users are more than probable to utilize but one site, while younger and more than educated users are more likely to utilize many. Consequently, younger and more educated social media users are generally more than probable to encounter all kinds of content than older and less educated users.

It's bad enough that websites like Facebook already cocoon users because the author serves you data that he thinks yous want to encounter and hear, based on what you've already seen and heard …. At present we learn on top of this, the information may not be true.Human, 25, PHILIPPINES

Users have mixed opinions most the nature of the content they find on social media

In addition to encountering a mix of positive and negative content on these platforms, social media users in these countries also take mixed opinions almost the nature of what they meet on social media relative to other information sources. In most countries, larger shares say these social media platforms are more up to date, informative and focused on problems that are personally of import to them. But in that location is much more than disagreement over whether these platforms are more than reliable, hateful or biased than other information sources.

Pluralities in well-nigh countries run into social media as more informative than other sources

Pluralities of social media users in almost countries surveyed say social media are more informative and focused on issues important to them compared with other sources: Six-in-10 or more in Lebanon and Vietnam say these platforms are more informative, while about half say the aforementioned in Venezuela, South Africa, Tunisia and the Philippines. Simply Mexicans and Colombians take a dissimilar view. In these countries, merely about a quarter of social media users say these platforms are more informative than other sources, with roughly half proverb they are similarly informative.

[Facebook] identifies you and information technology sends you whatever you similar the most. The information is more precise and it corresponds to your personality.Woman, 34, MEXICO

Meanwhile, in no state does a majority say the news and information they become on social media is more focused on issues important to them compared with other sources. Instead, many say the news they get on social media is about as focused on issues they care near as other sources, if not less and then. Half of Colombian social media users, for example, say the news and information they get on social media is about every bit focused on issues that are important to them as the news they get elsewhere. And about four-in-ten Kenyan users feel information technology is less focused on personally relevant problems.

Chart showing that in many countries included in the survey, pluralities of social media users see content on these platforms as more informative and more focused on issues important to them compared to other sources.

These views are closely related to ane another. In every state surveyed, social media users who feel these platforms evangelize content that is more than personally relevant than other sources are as well more likely to say social media are more informative – and the contrary is besides true.

More say social media deliver timely material than say the platforms are reliable

In nearly countries, about one-half or more social media users say the content they become from social media is more up to date than what they get from other sources. Jordanians, Lebanese, Venezuelans and Vietnamese are peculiarly probable to rate social media as more up to appointment than other sources, while Colombians are least probable to do so.

Chart showing that social media news is viewed by people in emerging economies as more up to date, but fewer say it is more reliable.

When I compare social media and the media houses, the media houses are more reliable … on social media y'all detect some bloggers who are conveying false information and simulated news just to hurt other people, or to just prevarication.Human, 26, KENYA

By dissimilarity, in each of the 11 countries surveyed, smaller shares say the news and information they get on social media is more than reliable than what they become elsewhere. But although relatively few call up social media are more than reliable than other sources, in no land does a majority recollect social media are less reliable. Instead, many say that social media are well-nigh as reliable as other sources. Only in the Philippines and Vietnam does the largest share of users view these platforms equally more than reliable than other sources.

In addition, individuals who charge per unit social media positively in one of these respects are also more likely to charge per unit it positively in the other. Those who say the news and information on social media is more up to date are also more likely to say it is more than reliable, and vice versa. Consider South Africa: More than half of Due south Africans (53%) who say social media news is more upward to date too say information technology is more than reliable than other sources, and a majority of South Africans who say it is less upward to date (55%) say it is less reliable than other sources.

Charts showing that around three-in-ten social media users in emerging economies say news and information on social media sites is more biased and more hateful compared with other sources.Social media users divided over whether content at that place is more than biased, hateful than other sources

Social media users have mixed views when information technology comes to the degree of bias they run into on social media. Pluralities in five countries – Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines, Venezuela and Tunisia – view content on social media equally comparably biased to what they get elsewhere. Merely in other countries, the residuum of sentiment points in different directions: A plurality of Indian and Lebanese social media users say social media content is more than biased, while a plurality of Kenyan users say it is less biased.

There is also a nearly even split up across countries in people's views of how hateful the news and information on social media is. A median of 31% say social media content is more than hateful than content from other sources, while 30% say it is less hateful and 34% say they are near the same. Four-in-ten or more Lebanese and Colombians encounter more hateful content on social media than elsewhere, while similar shares of Kenyans and Vietnamese see less.

As with assessments of the timeliness and reliability of social media, views of bias and hatefulness also get together. People who say social media are more biased than other sources are more likely to say these sources are more hateful, and vice-versa.

Before and during the ballot, at that place was incitement and violence and social media fueled this. … But the same social media brings togetherness and peace in this country.MAN, 26, KENYA

These attitudes vary merely modestly by age and educational attainment. Larger shares of social media users with a secondary pedagogy or more say social media are more biased and hateful than other sources in Colombia, India and Mexico, but these assessments practise not vary by educational attainment in the other countries surveyed. And historic period-related differences are even less common. Only in Mexico, Kenya and Vietnam practise those ages l and older and those under 30 differ in their views of the bias on social media, and only in India do they differ when it comes to hatefulness.

Those who view social media every bit a very important source of political information tend to have more than positive views of these platforms

Across many of these attributes, those who say social media are very important for helping them get political information stand up apart from social media users who do non say these platforms are very important political news sources. They are more likely than other social media users to telephone call the news and data they get on social media more than informative, timely, reliable and focused on issues of import to them than other users in every country simply Venezuela. In 8 countries, they are more likely to telephone call the data they get from social media more biased compared with other sources. Simply when it comes to the potentially hateful nature of news on social media, in most countries, social media users tend to view news on these platforms in similar terms.

Charts showing that those in emerging economies who view social media as a very important source of political content are more likely to see these platforms as a heightened version of other options.