In an era when the flow of information shifts by the day, generational differences have never been more visible than in the ways people consume media. While older generations continue to trust newspapers, television, and radio, younger audiences increasingly turn to smartphone screens, social media, and short video formats. The generational gap is not only about the choice of platform—it also shapes how information is perceived, verified, and shared.
Speaking to KoSSev, journalism student Marina Milentijević observes that for those who grew up with daily papers, evening news, and morning radio shows, traditional media remain synonymous with credibility. “Television still holds a dominant place in their daily information routine,” she says. However, since older audiences are less accustomed to the speed and algorithms of digital media, they tend to have a longer attention span.
Milentijević also points out a particular strength of these generations: their habit of preserving physical or digital copies of entertainment content—films, music, or video games—unlike younger people who rely almost entirely on streaming subscriptions.
The Algorithmic World of the Young
In contrast, younger generations rarely consume media in traditional ways. Their world of information is shaped by the algorithms of social media platforms. “They no longer wait for the news—the news finds them,” Milentijević explains, “often through short videos, memes, or influencer posts.”
For them, the source of information is not a newsroom, but a person they follow. As a result, trust has become highly personalized—people believe in faces, not institutions. Yet, she adds, younger audiences are often more skeptical about the accuracy of information and therefore more likely to cross-check it across multiple sources.
The Future of Journalism: Brevity and Speed
According to Milentijević, the future of journalism lies in agency-style reporting—concise, factual, and fast. “Younger audiences, used to quick and bite-sized content on social media, will want their daily news to be instant, short, and easy to read,” she predicts.
She also advises her peers to limit the use of artificial intelligence in writing, warning that it can fabricate missing details. Instead, she stresses the importance of maintaining communication with other journalists and collaborating on fact-checking to prevent the spread of misinformation.
“Knowing where and how we live, we’ve all witnessed how a single false story can have serious consequences,” Milentijević concludes.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
