Social Media Take the Lead in Shaping Public Information

The way Europeans stay informed, form opinions, and engage in public debate is being reshaped by social media — according to the latest Eurobarometer survey “Social Media 2025”, conducted in June 2025 and published by the European Parliament.

The findings highlight a major shift in the media landscape: social networks have now become the primary source of news for a large share of citizens, especially among younger generations — across Europe, and even more so in Greece.
At the same time, the spread of misinformation continues to undermine trust in the news, underlining the urgent need to strengthen digital literacy, critical thinking, and fact-checking mechanisms.

Key Findings for Greece and the European Union
According to the survey, social media have now overtaken television as the main source of information in Greece.
More than half of Greek citizens (56%) say they use platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to stay informed on political and social issues, compared with 54% who still rely on television.
This stands in contrast to the EU average, where television remains dominant — used by 71% of citizens for their news.
Traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, and online editions continue to lose ground. Only 34% of Greeks turn to them for information, compared with 41% across the EU, confirming the steady shift toward digital-first and alternative news sources.

One of the most concerning findings is that 74% of Greeks report having encountered false or misleading information at least once in the past week — far above the EU average of 66%.
This highlights the need to build public resilience against fake news and promote trust in verified, credible sources.

Platforms in the Spotlight
Facebook remains the most popular news platform in Greece, used by 68% of citizens to follow current events — significantly above the EU average of 58%.
Among younger users, however, the picture changes: for those aged 15–24, Instagram is now the leading source of information on social and political topics (66%), closely mirroring the EU-wide trend (64%).
The influence of content creators and online personalities remains strong, though patterns differ between countries. In Greece, 37% of respondents say they follow influencers on social media, while 51% report being active users but not following any content creators — compared with 37% at EU level.
This suggests that Greek audiences remain more cautious toward professional influencers and digital opinion leaders than their European peers.

Public Interest in the European Union
Despite the broader move away from institutional sources of information, most Europeans still value the EU’s role.
Two-thirds (66%) believe that EU membership is important for their country, although only 22% say they regularly follow European political developments.
Greeks, however, show a higher level of engagement: nearly seven in ten (68%) report following European affairs at least occasionally, reflecting a sustained interest in EU politics and policymaking.