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Whatsapp Is Becoming the Preferred Medium People Discover And Discuss News – Study

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Whatsapp Is Becoming a Major Medium People Discover And Discuss News - Study

WhatsApp is becoming one of the prevailing ways people discover and discuss news, according to a study.

But use of the messaging app appears to vary widely between countries.

In Malaysia, more than 50% of those surveyed said they used WhatsApp for news at least once a week. But in the US, the figure was only 3%, and in the UK it was 5%.

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The Digital News Report also indicates the Brexit debate has led to growing mistrust of the UK’s media.
It said only 43% of respondents declared that the news could be trusted – down from 50% last year – with the BBC in particular criticised for having both a pro-EU bias and failing to expose the “distortions” of the leave campaign.
Private is popular
The research was carried out by the Reuters Institute For The Study of Journalism and covered 34 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, in addition to Taiwan and Hong Kong. It was sponsored by the BBC and Google among others.
A total of 71,805 people were questioned by YouGov in January and February to generate its data.
The results indicate that Facebook remains the most popular social media and messaging service for news engagement in all but two countries – Japan and South Korea – where, respectively, YouTube and Kakao Talk dominate.
But it adds that use of Facebook for news had dipped in more than half of all the territories where a year-on-year comparison was possible.
By contrast, sharing news stories and chatting about them appears to be on the rise within private instant messaging apps, and WhatsApp in particular.
According to the report, WhatsApp is now the second most popular social service for news in nine of the 36 locations, and the third most popular platform in a further five countries.
The authors provide several potential explanations for WhatsApp’s rise.
Its use of end-to-end encryption means messages can only be seen by their senders and recipients, offering users protection against being monitored by the authorities.
“Some of the biggest growth we’ve seen is in places like Turkey, where it’s positively dangerous for people to express anti-government preferences on open networks like Facebook,” explained one of the study’s authors, Nic Newman.
“As a result people are using closed groups where they are more confident of expressing their views.”
WhatsApp has also benefited from the fact that in much of Latin America and elsewhere mobile networks are offering unlimited data use within the program, so encouraging its use.
Furthermore, several Spanish and Chilean media outlets have embraced the app. Radio stations commonly ask listeners to send in short voice recordings via the service, and local news sites have added share-to-WhatsApp buttons to their pages.
However, Mr Newman said beyond that, it was difficult for the media to take advantage of the app’s popularity beyond publishing stories that people want to share.
“You can set up branded areas or groups of people on your own, but it’s incredibly clunky and time consuming, and there are few tools to help,” he explained.
“And part of WhatsApp’s appeal is that users don’t get interrupted by brands, making it a very pure form of messaging. That’s something [its developers] will really try to hold to.”
Too close to power
The report also highlights widespread concerns about so-called “fake news”.
It highlights users’ suspicions that social media’s lack of rules and use of viral algorithms have helped low-quality false stories spread quickly.
But it says there is also strong distrust of the mainstream media, in particular in Asian and central, southern and eastern European countries, where the industry is perceived as being too close to government.
Analysis: Amol Rajan, Media EditorThis year’s Digital News Report is even more sobering than usual.
Many of the institutions that contribute to democracy in the West are undergoing a crisis of trust. News providers are no exception. UK citizens’ trust in news “in general” has fallen by 7% since the Brexit referendum, the report suggests.
That is a worrying drop. Combine it with Reuters’ revelation that the proportion of people paying for online news in the UK remains “among the lowest of all countries” surveyed, and alarm bells should ring.
One reason for this could be the BBC, whose dominance in our news ecosystem might mean fewer people feel the need to pay for good information.
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For a new generation, the link between high-quality general news and payment for that news might be breaking.
The internet has made general, daily news a very common commodity. With tech giants like Facebook and Google eating ever more of the advertising pie, news providers may find they have to specialise if they are to get audiences to part with cash. And those audiences won’t pay for content they don’t trust.
Rebuilding that trust, in an era of digital echo chambers and fake news, is going to be tough. But it must be done.Yahoo News remains the most popular online news brand, in terms of the numbers of people using it at least once a week, across the 36 markets as a whole.
It also ranked as the top online source of online news in the US, Japan and Taiwan.
Its success may have been driven in part by the fact many users said it was better at delivering “amusing and entertaining” content than the competition.
Other findings reported include:
dedicated news apps appear to be making a “comeback”, but this is thought to be because existing users are making more regular use of the programs rather than there being a surge in the number of new installs
Apple News is one of the fastest growing news aggregator services, with some publishers reporting that up to a third of their mobile traffic now comes from the app and its related widget, which flags stories on iOS devices’ search screens
online video remains a tough sell, with nearly half of respondents saying they had not consumed a clip on a news site or via social media in the past weekBlocking ad blockers
Making money from online news remains problematic.
The study said 84% of respondents had not paid for content in the past year.
However, it highlighted that there had been a “Trump bump” in the US, where several newspapers had attracted hundreds of thousands of new digital subscribers, many of whom have left-wing views and are under 35.

Whatsapp Is Becoming a Major Medium People Discover And Discuss News - Study

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ENTERTAINMENT

Denzel Washington Opens Up About 15-Year Battle With Alcohol

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Denzel Washington On 15-Year Battle with Alcohol | fab.ng

Hollywood icon Denzel Washington recently disclosed his past struggles with alcohol during an interview with Esquire.

The two-time Academy Award winner candidly shared a fifteen-year pattern of wine consumption. What began as a casual habit gradually escalated into a regular occurrence.

He began, “Wine is very tricky. It’s very slow. It ain’t like, boom, all of a sudden,” he elaborated, recalling how a wine cellar he constructed in 1999 within his home became a place for self-indulgence.

The actor added,

“And part of it was we built this big house in 1999 with a ten-thousand-bottle wine cellar, and I learned to drink the best. So I’m gonna drink my ’61s and my ’82s and whatever we had. Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that’s what was left. And then later in those years I’d call Gil Turner’s Fine Wines & Spirits on Sunset Boulevard and say, Send me two bottles, the best of this or that.”

Washington also delved into his past, acknowledging his youthful experimentation with drugs. However, he emphasized that he never developed an addiction to substances such as heroin or cocaine.

He continued,

“I’m sure at first it was easy because I was younger. Two months off and let’s go. But drinking was a fifteen-year pattern. And truth be told, it didn’t start in ’99. It started earlier.”

A decade ago, as Washington neared his 60th birthday, a turning point arrived. He made the resolute decision to abstain from alcohol completely.

“I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean. Be ten years this December. I stopped at sixty and I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since. Things are opening up for me now—like being seventy. It’s real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter—if I get another thirty, what do I want to do? My mother made it to ninety-seven,” said Washington.

Check out more updates here.

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FASHION

Skepta Graced Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) In Elegant Trad

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Skepta Graced Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) | fab.ng

Skepta made a grand entrance at Africa’s biggest film celebration, the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF). Through his attire, he showcased his deep connection to Nigerian culture.

The globally acclaimed artist donned an exquisite navy blue Agbada, tailored to perfection and adorned with striking royal blue and white embroidery highlighting the richness of his Yoruba heritage.

His choice of an Eastern native red cap added a distinctive flair, symbolizing his embrace of the Igbo culture. At the same time, adding a white necklace further enhanced the authenticity of his traditional look.

Skepta’s outfit was a testament to his impeccable sense of style and a deliberate nod to his dual cultural roots, blending elements of Western and Eastern Nigerian traditions.

The embroidery on the Agbada sparkled under the lights, drawing admiration from onlookers who marvelled at how seamlessly he combined cultural symbolism with modern elegance.

The bright red cap perched confidently on his head served as a bold statement of pride in his heritage, while the white necklace provided a subtle yet impactful finishing touch.

Nigerian paparazzi videographer Tosin Adeaga, popularly known as Coccolait, captured these unforgettable moments with his lens.

The up-close visuals reveal the intricate details of Skepta’s ensemble. Indeed, it emphasizes the craftsmanship and thoughtfulness that went into every element.

Coccolait’s expert videography showcases the textures, colours, and movements of Skepta’s attire as he mingled with attendees, further immortalizing this iconic cultural expression.

 

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With his appearance, Skepta not only celebrated the artistry of Nigerian fashion but also sent a powerful message about the importance of honouring one’s roots in creative and meaningful ways.

The moment was a true highlight of AFRIFF, blending tradition with the contemporary flair of a global icon.

Watch the photos below.

 

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ENTERTAINMENT

It Hurts – Don Jazzy On Not Having A Partner

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Don Jazzy opens up on not having a partner | fab.ng

Renowned music executive and record label boss, Michael Collins Ajereh, better known as Don Jazzy, recently expressed disappointment over his current relationship status.

On Monday, he took to Instagram to share his desire to participate in the popular “suspect challenge.” This social media trend involves couples playfully teasing each other. However, the 41-year-old entrepreneur lamented that he couldn’t join in the fun due to his single status.

“Suspect wants to do suspect challenge but no suspect partner,” he wrote. In the accompanying caption, the music executive lamented that “it hurts.”

This isn’t the first time Don Jazzy has publicly discussed his relationship status. In 2021, he revealed that he married Michelle Jackson, a UK-based writer and model, at the age of 20. Unfortunately, their marriage ended in divorce after two years.

“I fucked it up cos I was giving all my time to my music. Music became a priority instead of my family. We got divorced when I was 22 and it hurt,” he said.

Earlier this year, Don Jazzy explained that he has not remarried as he is currently focused on personal growth and self-development.

“I dey work on myself so that when my head correct, my babe go enjoy me,” he wrote in pidgin English.

A few months ago, Don Jazzy made headlines when a foreign investor acquired his record label, Mavin Records.

In 2004, Don Jazzy and his former partner, D’banj, co-founded Mo’ Hits Records. Following its closure, Don Jazzy established Mavin Records in 2012.

Mavin Records has produced and nurtured a roster of talented artists. They include Tiwa Savage, Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Dr SID, D’Prince, DNA Twins, Ayra Starr, Johnny Drille, Crayon, Boy Spice, Bayanni, Rema, Lifesize Teddy, and Ladipoe.

To commemorate his 37th birthday in 2019, Don Jazzy unveiled the Mavin Creative Studios. The studio is a multimillion-naira mansion serving as the label’s corporate headquarters.

Mavin Records has received numerous accolades, including two consecutive MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Record Label in 2013 and 2014.

The label’s artists have also collaborated with international music stars such as Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Kelly Rowland, and Chris Brown.

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