Rebekah Carter
News fatigue in the digital world is a real issue. For years now, consumers have been overwhelmed by endless bulletins and reports across countless channels. Now that generative AI is making it easier to rapidly repackage and redistribute news at scale, there’s more content to sift through than ever before, and readers (understandably), are becoming more sceptical.
Deepfakes and misinformation are running rampant, thanks to mass-generated AI content that’s never truly fact-checked or authenticated by human beings. It’s little surprise that platform leaders are shifting gears as a result. As Reuters Digital News Report 2024 outlines, many platforms are actively reducing exposure to news content, focusing on highlighting human content creators instead.
So what does this mean for tech media leaders and marketers? How do you reap the benefits of B2B journalism to increase thought leadership and trust, when authentic content is so often drowned by AI alternatives and new platform algorithms?
It’s time for a wake-up call. If you think the last decade of digital transformation in the marketing space was intense, get ready – because the real storm is just beginning.
The AI-Fuelled Content Explosion
At Today Digital, we’re well aware of the benefits of AI for content creation. Love it or hate it, AI is a useful resource, ideal for drawing insights from vast amounts of data, repurposing content into different formats, and expanding your brand’s reach.
Unfortunately, AI is also a double-edged sword. It can be just as damaging as it is beneficial. That’s something we’re clearly seeing evidence of in the marketing landscape.
Not only is AI making it harder for companies to stand out on the search engines and actually drive clicks to their websites, but it’s increasingly drowning out human voices in the journalistic space. What was once seen as a novel tool for marketers is becoming a central component of content creation. AI is being used, at scale, to regurgitate news stories at speed.
The trouble is this tsunami of AI content isn’t truly reliable. AI doesn’t double check statistics, figures, and quotes it finds online to see if they’re truly genuine. It doesn’t follow up with interviewees to ensure its conveying the right message.
The result is an environment where readers have access to more news than ever before – but identifying “fake news” is becoming tougher. After all, AI is becoming very effective at conveying fake information in a highly believable format. As a society, we’re flooded with AI-generated hallucinations, realistic deepfakes, and whole ecosystems of misinformation that are almost impossible to navigate.
The very platforms that publishers relied on for distribution are now contributing to this erosion of credibility by allowing AI-generated misinformation to run rampant. If publishers don’t act now, the line between credible journalism and noise will vanish.
Platforms Abandon News: The New Reality
We’ve spoken before about the impact AI is having on brand visibility and growth. Even search engines like Google are beginning to act as gatekeepers between companies and their consumers. These days, you don’t just need to create content that will reach the top of the search engine pages, you need to bypass the blocker of increasingly engaging AI summaries.
In the new age of news fatigue, shifting to social media platforms to connect with your audience doesn’t make things any easier – at least for journalists.
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X are actively moving away from promoting news stories. They’ve had to adjust their strategies in response to the generative AI revolution, and also account for changing consumer behaviors, and increasing regulatory concerns about misinformation.
Just a couple of years ago, channels like X were brimming with news content. Today, the focus is on highlighting human influencers and creators who drive higher engagement. Now, consumers are shifting to other channels to seek out news updates – primarily those that prioritize video content, like YouTube and TikTok.
Unfortunately, even on these platforms, it’s not journalists and publishers that are getting the most attention – it’s the creators and influencers committed to forming relationships with viewers. This poses a serious threat to the content creation strategies of today’s publishers.
Simply continuing to churn out news content in the same format and style you did a few years ago won’t work. You’ll need to adapt to a world dominated by short-form video, and human centric narratives – prioritizing engagement above all else.
AI: The Ultimate Frenemy of the Newsroom
Ever since the rise of ChatGPT, we’ve spoken often about the multi-faceted impact of AI on the content creation landscape. Even if you’re one of the many marketing experts concerned about AI making you obsolete, you can’t ignore the benefits it offers.
AI does deliver incredible opportunities to increase newsroom efficiency. Great content requires inspiration, data, and unique perspectives, all of which can be enhanced by artificial intelligence. But as AI becomes more advanced (and multi-modal), the risks are increasing.
Already, we’ve seen plenty of publishers experimenting with AI-generated images and even videos, as well as summaries stitched together by GenAI tools. Investing more heavily in AI is a great way to expand the reach of your content – it can even translate content into different formats and languages.
But consumers are becoming increasingly suspicious of AI-driven news – particularly stories covering hard-hitting topics, like politics and global conflicts. In some regions of the world, such as the US, 72% of consumers are wary of AI content.
So, does this mean AI should be kicked completely from the newsroom? Not necessarily. But it does mean publishers need to rethink how they’re using this technology. AI content published without human oversight and a focus on authenticity risks alienating your audiences.
But, at the same time, not using AI at all puts you at a significant disadvantage, making it almost impossible to keep up with the competition.
The solution: Find the balance. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: AI should support, not replace, the human touch in journalism. Authenticity and trust will be the ultimate differentiators in a world flooded with AI-generated noise.
The Rise of News Fatigue and Audience Avoidance
Here’s where things get even more complicated for publishers. Faced with the ever-increasing challenge of distinguishing fake news from real insights, as well as an avalanche of regurgitated, unexceptional content, consumer habits are changing.
Nearly half of the consumers Reuters surveyed in the UK are actively avoiding news stories entirely, and the US isn’t far behind. This is more than just a blip – it’s a systemic shift. The world we live in is filled with challenges, and the AI revolution is flooding consumers with more negative information than they know how to manage.
Consumers don’t want to expose themselves to the mental strain of having to figure out which terrifying reports and stories are real. They want optimism and human connection.
Because of this, tech media leaders need to recognize the old model of news reporting is broken. AI-driven content is only going to continue to exacerbate news fatigue, exhausting consumers with a flood of low-quality, depressing content.
To fight this, publishers need to pivot. That doesn’t mean never sharing negative information, but finding a way to shift to a more positive, solutions-oriented approach to reporting. This means fewer doom-and-gloom headlines and more focus on stories that inspire, educate, and provide actionable insights.
Re-Energizing Publishing in the Age of News Fatigue
So, what’s the action plan for you tech publishers? Based on our own discoveries in the publishing world, and the insights shared by Reuters, here are our top tips.
1. Own the Platform Shift
First, be prepared to move to new platforms for news distribution. Facebook and X are no longer the top channels for news publication. Video-focused platforms like YouTube and TikTok are taking over. In fact, 31% of Reuter’s surveyed respondents said they now use YouTube to find news.
Plus, over 66% of consumers say they rely almost exclusively on video to access news content (particularly short-form video). So, be ready for an increased focus on video – but navigate this path strategically. Create content that’s human-focused, insightful, and unique.
2. Embrace AI, but with Guardrails
Ultimately, AI is a tool journalists and publishers can’t afford to ignore. If you boycott AI entirely, you’re going to fall behind your competitors. The key to success is using AI carefully, to enhance storytelling, enable omnichannel promotion, and expand your reach.
Don’t allow AI to replace or takeover your news room. Use it for background tasks like summarization and transcription, but always keep the human in the loop. Make sure an expert reviews every piece of editorial content you publish, and adds something to it.
3. Prioritize Trust and Authenticity
In a world filled with AI-generated content, and a growing number of deepfakes, trust will be the publisher’s most valuable asset. It’s going to take work to build this trust, and consistency. In other words, you’ll need to constantly focus on fact-checking, transparency, and validating your statements.
If you make mistakes, or need to update a news report, be open about it. Let your customers know what happened, and make your focus on ethical publishing impossible to ignore.
4. Rethink Monetization
As traffic from traditional social platforms continues to decline, particularly as channels reduce their focus on news, publishers will need to diversify their revenue streams. You’ll need to find new ways to own relationships with your customers, and increase conversions.
Consider subscriptions and memberships that offer readers access to truly unique, valuable content. Explore the world of gated content and personalized newsletters to build deeper connections with the readers you can’t afford to lose.
5. Deliver Optimism, Not Cynicism
Today’s audiences are tired of relentless negativity. That doesn’t mean publishers need to report everything through a rose-colored lens. But it does mean looking for ways to report on tough issues without just highlighting issues and challenges.
Look for unique ways to offer hope, solutions, and paths forwards. Tell stories that empower people to make positive changes, and inspire them through difficult periods. Your focus on optimism will deliver far more engagement than a constant cycle of despair.
What the Future Holds for Tech Publishers
AI’s impact on the content landscape, and platform algorithms will only continue to shift in the years ahead. The challenges we face as publishers will undoubtedly grow in the face of more complex AI-generated hallucinations, ecosystems of disinformation, and realistic deepfakes.
Consumers will grow increasingly cynical of negativity-led AI content, and forging strong connections with your audience will become more complex. But it’s not all bad news. This is a chance to rework your news strategy.
Rather than allowing yourself to be swept away by the AI content tidal wave, and the growing issue of news fatigue, you can rise above it. Embrace new technologies, but double down on what makes your content valuable – truth, authenticity, and a human perspective.
Adapt quickly to this transformation, and you’ll have what you need to thrive in the new digital landscape.
