"SNS Influence on Public Opinion Continues to Rise... General Programming Channels Surpass Terrestrial and News Agencies in Impact"

Influence of Social Media on Public Opinion Continues to Rise
Traditional Media's Share Declining, While General Programming Channels Lead
Committee Calls for Enhanced Responsibility and Support for Emerging Media

It has been confirmed that the influence of social networking services (SNS) on public opinion continues to rise. While television and the internet still have the greatest impact on shaping public opinion, their influence is gradually declining.

The Public Opinion Concentration Survey Committee of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 29th the results of the "2022-2024 Public Opinion Concentration Survey," which analyzed the share of influence on public opinion by five media sectors: television broadcasting, internet news, SNS, print newspapers, and radio broadcasting.

Television broadcasting and internet news together accounted for about 85% of overall public opinion influence, confirming their continued role as the core media for shaping public opinion, but their respective shares were found to be decreasing. The share of television broadcasting dropped from 47.5% in 2021 to 45.3% in 2024, while internet news fell from 41.7% to 39.3% over the same period. In contrast, the share of social media increased from 5.5% to 8.4%. The shares for print newspapers and radio broadcasting remained minimal in 2024, at 4.0% and 3.0%, respectively.

The committee also analyzed the usage concentration of leading media companies by sector and found that the concentration among top companies was relatively high in traditional media sectors-print newspapers, television, and radio broadcasting-while it was lower in the internet news and social media sectors. As of 2024, the top eight companies in print newspapers, television, and radio broadcasting recorded usage shares in the 80-90% range, whereas the top eight in the SNS sector accounted for 70.7%, and in internet news, only 40.3%. However, the committee added that, overall, the concentration of leading companies in all five sectors has shown a downward trend compared to 2021.

The committee also categorized media groups with similar technical and institutional characteristics and calculated the combined share of public opinion influence for each group.

The media groups were classified into five categories: terrestrial broadcasters (KBS, MBC, SBS affiliates), general programming channels (Dong-A Ilbo, Maeil Business Newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo affiliates), news agencies and news-only channels (Money Today, Yonhap News Agency, YTN affiliates), newspapers (Kyunghyang Shinmun, Kukmin Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun, Segye Ilbo, Asia Economy, Edaily, Hankyoreh, Korea Economic Daily, Hankook Ilbo, Herald Economy affiliates), and others (small and medium-sized media companies and affiliates not included in the top 20).

In the 2021 survey, the news agencies and news-only channels group ranked first in market share, but in the 2024 survey, it dropped to third place, with the general programming channels group rising to first place.

The general programming channels group recorded 27.6% in 2021 and, after minor fluctuations, reached 28.3% in 2024, maintaining a higher share than other media groups. The committee analyzed, "This appears to be due to the general programming channels group’s complex ownership and operation across various media sectors, including print newspapers, television broadcasting, and internet news."

The share of terrestrial broadcasters increased from 24.9% in 2021 to 25.9% in 2023, then slightly decreased to 25.0% in 2024, maintaining a relatively stable share. The committee explained, "Terrestrial broadcasters have traditionally contributed to shaping public opinion based on their high credibility."

The news agencies and news-only channels group, which had the highest share among the surveyed media groups at 28.4% in 2021, fell to 23.4% in 2024, dropping to third place. The committee stated, "The news agencies and news-only channels group wields significant influence on public opinion by operating news-only channels in the television broadcasting sector, which carries a high weight in public opinion influence. However, the group’s share in the internet news sector has declined due to structural changes in the media environment, such as reduced news consumption via portals, resulting in a decrease in its combined public opinion influence compared to four years ago."

The newspaper group’s share increased from 11.5% in 2021 to 12.3% in 2024, but remained relatively low compared to other media groups. The committee explained, "While the influence of print newspapers is decreasing, the slight increase in share is due to some companies transitioning to multi-platform operations and expanding their influence in the internet news sector."

The committee suggested, "There is a need to enhance the public responsibility and transparency of leading media companies with concentrated influence, as well as to provide institutional support to improve the quality and public accessibility of emerging media companies. Going forward, it will be necessary to redefine the concept of news in light of the expansion of platform-based news consumption and to reset the scope of media content that influences public opinion."

The 2024 Public Opinion Concentration Survey report can be found on the website of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.