Harry Enten: Social Media's Shift as a News Source - CNN Data Analysis

Shifting Demographics in Social Media News Consumption

• 📊 A significant trend shows Republicans are now more likely to get their news from social media than Democrats.
• 📈 In 2021, 52% of Democrats and 45% of Republicans used social media for news; by this year, it's 55% of Republicans compared to 52% of Democrats.
• 🚀 This represents a ten-point climb for Republicans over the last four years, while Democrats have remained steady.

Twitter/X's Political Transformation

• 🐦 Twitter/X has experienced a monumental political shift, moving from a platform where Democrats were more likely to be users to one dominated by Republicans.
• 📉 In 2021, Democrats were 37 points more likely to identify as Democrats on Twitter than Republicans; now, Republicans hold a 14-point lead.
• 🤯 This marks a 51-point shift in the margin on the platform, reflecting visible changes in user feeds.

Alternative Platforms and Their Reach

• 💬 While some users on the left have migrated to platforms like Bluesky and Threads, their user numbers are minuscule compared to Twitter/X.
• 🌐 In 2025, 21% of Americans use Twitter/X, while Threads is at 8% and Bluesky at 4%.
• 📢 The combined user base of Threads and Bluesky is only about half the size of Twitter/X's, meaning Twitter/X retains a much larger megaphone for its user base.