November 2024
Tinius Digest
Månedlige rapporter om endringer, trender og utviklinger i mediebransjen.
Om Tinius Digest
Tinius Digest gir deg en oversikt over rapporter om og analyser av utvikling i mediebransjen og publiseres en gang i måneden. Her er våre viktigste funn fra denne måneden.
Del gjerne innholdet med kollegaer og bruk det i møter og presentasjoner.
Innhold
- The need for reinvention of journalism
- Fewer Norwegians rely on Facebook for news
- NATO: Social media manipulation remains widespread
- Most platforms publish transparency reports, but their depth and effectiveness vary. While Meta and TikTok engaged with researchers on the study’s findings, X did not respond. Reporting inconsistencies and slow responses to fake account removals continue to hinder efforts to combat manipulation.
- AI can solve all reCAPTCHAv2 challenges
- VR boosted ethics education in primary school
- Most children in Norway play video games daily
The need for reinvention of journalism
Schibsted Media has published a report exploring the state of editorial media in Europe and its role in protecting democracy.
Key findings
1
Democracy and media freedom are in decline
The report shows liberal democracy has weakened across Europe, with the EU’s democracy level regressing to where it was in 1986. Media freedom is also under pressure, with only three of 29 countries improving their media freedom scores in the past decade.
2
Media pluralism is shrinking
The number of independent media voices is decreasing, as shown by the expansion of “news deserts” across Europe. In many areas, local and regional news outlets are disappearing, particularly in rural and suburban regions.
3
Economic struggles and digital competition hurt editorial media
The financial crisis of 2008 and the rise of global tech giants have made it harder for editorial media to sustain themselves. Advertising revenue has largely shifted to digital platforms, and many news organisations have struggled to develop successful digital subscription models.
4
Trust in journalism is eroding
Public trust in editorial media is declining, particularly in politically polarised societies. The report discusses how misinformation, media bias, and declining journalistic standards contribute to this trend, making editorial media less effective in holding power to account.
5
New journalistic initiatives offer hope
Despite these challenges, innovative journalism models are emerging, particularly in digital-first and hyper-local formats. New media start-ups, legacy outlets experimenting with new formats, and AI-driven journalism are among the promising developments.
Fewer Norwegians rely on Facebook for news
The Norwegian Media Businesses' Association has published a report looking into Norwegians’ willingness to pay for news, their preferred news sources, and trends in media consumption.
Key findings
1
Less use of Facebook for news
The proportion of Norwegians who use Facebook as a daily news source has declined significantly, from 40 per cent in 2018 to 26 per cent in 2024. The drop is even more dramatic among young adults (18-29 years), with only 10 per cent now using Facebook daily for news, compared to over 50 per cent in 2017.
2
NRK strengthens its position as a primary news source
The Norwegian public broadcaster NRK’s digital news platform has seen the biggest increase in daily use, growing by 34 per cent since 2018. While in 2017, national newspapers were the most important news source for Norwegians, NRK has now taken the lead.
3
More Norwegians pay for news
In 2024, 71 per cent of Norwegians had access to at least one newspaper subscription in their household, up from 62 per cent in 2018. Digital-only subscriptions have grown by 47 per cent since 2018, while access to print newspapers has declined sharply.
4
Cost concerns drive subscription cancellations
55 per cent of respondents who have experienced financial strain in the past year have cancelled at least one media subscription, with international streaming services and digital newspaper subscriptions among the most affected.
5
AI raises trust issues
While 80 per cent of Norwegians are aware of AI-generated content, 46 per cent say they trust news less if they know it was created with AI—even if it has been fact-checked by journalists.
NATO: Social media manipulation remains widespread
The NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence has published a report on social media manipulation, following new EU regulations like the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Key findings
1
Struggle to remove fake accounts and engagement
Despite some improvements, most platforms still fail to effectively remove fake accounts and inauthentic activity. X performed best, deleting 50 per cent of fake accounts, while TikTok and VKontakte removed only three per cent and two per cent, respectively. Fake engagement remains prevalent across platforms, with 86 per cent of inauthentic interactions still visible four weeks after purchase.
2
Manipulation services are cheaper and more accessible
The cost of buying fake likes, views, comments, and followers has dropped significantly since 2022, making manipulation easier and more affordable. While prices for inauthentic accounts have generally decreased, TikTok and YouTube saw slight increases in verification costs, which may indicate stronger defences.
3
Bots influence political discussions
While commercial entities remain the primary users of manipulation services, the report found growing evidence of bots amplifying political content. This includes posts about US elections, Russian influence campaigns, and other politically sensitive topics. Bots have been observed boosting both pro- and anti-government narratives across different platforms.
4
Faster delivery of fake engagement makes detection harder
93 per cent of purchased fake engagement were delivered within the first 24 hours, up from 89 per cent in 2022. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok showed the fastest delivery speeds, making detecting and counter-manipulation in real time even more difficult.
5
Transparency and responsiveness remain weak
Most platforms publish transparency reports, but their depth and effectiveness vary. While Meta and TikTok engaged with researchers on the study’s findings, X did not respond. Reporting inconsistencies and slow responses to fake account removals continue to hinder efforts to combat manipulation.
Most platforms publish transparency reports, but their depth and effectiveness vary. While Meta and TikTok engaged with researchers on the study’s findings, X did not respond. Reporting inconsistencies and slow responses to fake account removals continue to hinder efforts to combat manipulation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe has published a report examining adolescent social media use and gaming across 44 countries in Europe, Central Asia, and Canada.
Key findings
1
Increase in problematic social media use
The prevalence of problematic social media use (SMU) among adolescents has risen from seven per cent in 2018 to 11 per cent in 2022. This issue is more common among girls, particularly 13-year-olds, and varies significantly between countries.
2
High levels of social media engagement
About 36 per cent of adolescents reported being online almost all the time, with 44 per cent of 15-year-old girls being the most frequent users. The highest engagement was with close friends (26%), while only seven per cent reported continuous online contact with people they met online.
3
Widespread gaming habits, especially among boys
Around 34 per cent of adolescents play digital games daily, and 22 per cent play for at least four hours on gaming days. Boys are significantly more engaged in gaming than girls, with 16 per cent of boys at risk of problematic gaming compared to seven per cent of girls.
4
Socioeconomic differences in digital behaviour
Adolescents from higher-affluence families reported more frequent social media use, particularly for staying in contact with friends. However, problematic social media use showed little variation across socioeconomic backgrounds.
5
Policy implications and the need for regulation
The report calls for stronger measures to regulate adolescent access to digital platforms and gaming, focusing on balanced digital habits. Policymakers, educators, and parents are urged to help young people maintain a healthier relationship with social media and gaming.
AI can solve all reCAPTCHAv2 challenges
Researchers from ETH Zurich have published a study showing that advanced machine learning models can bypass Google’s reCAPTCHAv2 system altogether.
Key findings
1
100 per cent success rate
Using advanced AI models for image segmentation and classification, the researchers achieved a 100 per cent success rate in solving reCAPTCHAv2 captchas. This is a significant improvement over previous research, which had only managed success rates between 68 per cent and 71 per cent.
2
AI perform as well as humans
There is no significant difference in the number of challenges required for humans and bots to pass reCAPTCHAv2. In some cases, the bot performed even better than human participants.
3
Relies on behavioural tracking
reCAPTCHAv2 relies heavily on behavioural tracking rather than the complexity of the image-based tasks. For example, the presence of a browsing history and cookies on a computer significantly reduced the number of captcha challenges required. The researchers found the same thing happening when the AI system simulated human-like mouse movements.
VR boosted ethics education in primary school
Universitetsforlaget released a book investigating the potential of using VR for ethics education in primary schools, among other topics.
Key findings
1
Fun and different
Pupils perceived VR as a fun and different learning experience compared to traditional teaching. They felt that VR helped them focus better and maintain their interest. Several pupils pointed out that VR experiences made it easier to reflect on ethical choices and apply these reflections to their own lives.
2
Increased engagement
The teachers reported increased engagement among pupils and improved understanding and discussion of ethical issues.
3
Positive teachers
Several teachers changed their views on VR after the test: those initially sceptical became convinced that the technology had educational value, mainly because it made ethics lessons more relevant and engaging for pupils. However, teachers frequently encountered technical challenges, and a high teacher-to-pupil ratio was necessary to ensure that lessons could be carried out as planned.
Most children in Norway play video games daily
The Norwegian Media Authority has surveyed children and young people’s gaming habits. The study is based on responses from over 3,200 children aged 9–18 and 2,545 parents.
Read more (in Norwegian).
Key findings
1
Most children play video games regularly
86 per cent of children aged 9–18 play video games on mobile, PC, or TV, with 45 per cent playing daily. Gaming is more common among boys (93%) than girls (79%), and boys are more likely to play daily (63 per cent compared to 25 per cent of girls).
2
Gaming—an important social activity
56 per cent of young gamers say playing video games helps them stay in touch with friends, with boys being more likely to agree than girls. However, as children grow older, fewer see gaming as a social activity.
3
Fortnite most popular
Fortnite remains the most-played game, followed by Roblox and Minecraft, which were also the top choices in 2022. Preferences vary by age and gender: younger children play a wider range of games, older boys favour FIFA and GTA, and older girls prefer Sims and Hay Day.