We’re all skimming the news, according to new study

By Jeffrey Van Camp June 18, 2013

News Republic Infographic — Image used with permission by copyright holder

A new study confirms some interesting things about the way we now consume news. Performed by News Republic, a news aggregator (or news syndicator, as it likes to be called), the survey indicates that we’re all consuming more news than ever before, mostly on tablets and smartphones, but we’re spending less time reading that news. According to the survey, less than half of smartphone and tablet users read news for more than 30 minutes a day. Though we’re checking sources less, we value accuracy more. Sadly, news reading is also a sausage fest. Male news junkies made up 75 percent of all readers.

From the results, it appears that we want all of our news to be completely accurate and we don’t actually want to have to read it. It’s the Twitter effect in action.

The results of the survey can be seen in the infographic to the right (click to enlarge it). We spoke with News Republic CEO Gilles Raymond, who also confirmed that 60 percent of readers use several apps to check their news. And, oddly, though the speed of our news consumption continues to increase on smartphones, people are spending more time reading on tablets than they did a year ago.

Keep in mind, this survey is performed by an app company that specializes in delivering large quantities of news, and the 8,000 people surveyed are fans of news aggregation.

News Republic is one of the better news aggregation apps out there. Its newest edition for iPhone and iPad has an offline mode you can enable, which auto-downloads the latest stories in whatever topics you like (there are about 10 million topics available to search through). News Republic is also available on Android phones, Android tablets, Windows 8, and Google TV.

Topics

Apps

Jeffrey Van Camp

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…

Mobile

I can’t wait for Nothing to launch this stunning phone

Nothing Community Edition Project winner.

Say what you will about Nothing, but this brand certainly has a taste for flashy design. After all, how many phones out there light up and sync to the beat of music? But the company's latest smartphone endeavor could just be its best yet.

In March, Nothing introduced its Community Edition Project. The goal was to take ideas from its fans for hardware design, with the Nothing Phone 2a serving as the foundation. The company also has similar plans for wallpaper, packaging, and marketing shenanigans. Today, Nothing announced its winning entry for the phone design, and it’s a stunner.

Mobile

The best tablets in 2024: top 11 tablets you can buy now

Disney+ app on the iPad Air 5.

As much as we love having the best smartphones in our pockets, there are times when those small screens don't cut it and we just need a larger display. That's when you turn to a tablet, which is great for being productive on the go and can be a awesome way to unwind and relax too. While the tablet market really took off after the iPad, it has grown to be quite diverse with a huge variety of products — from great budget options to powerhouses for professionals.

We've tried out a lot of tablets here at Digital Trends, from the workhorses for pros to tablets that are made for kids and even seniors -- there's a tablet for every person and every budget. For most people, though, we think Apple's iPad Air is the best overall tablet — especially if you're already invested in the Apple ecosystem. But if you're not an Apple user, that's fine too; there are plenty of other great options that you'll find in this roundup.

Mobile

How to tell if someone has blocked you on Snapchat

Snapchat on iPhone.

Not everyone will like the content you post on Snapchat. In some cases, some users may even choose to block you, for whatever reason. Although Snapchat doesn’t offer an “official” way to determine whether someone has blocked you on the social network, it is possible.