Insights from 82 in-depth interviews reveal shifting news consumption patterns and declining trust in traditional journalism in Eastern Europe
Across Central and Eastern Europe, journalism is no longer the default source of information. It competes and often loses against a chaotic content stream driven by personality, emotion, and habit. This is one of the clearest findings from Hooked on the Feed: An Analysis on how Facebook, TikTok, and X shape information consumption in Eastern Europe, a new qualitative study executed by the Media and Journalism Research Center and Thomson Foundation, exploring how digital media consumption reshapes civic engagement and media trust in the region.
Rather than tracking clicks or engagement metrics, the study zeroes in on people, their routines, judgments, and quiet acts of resistance or resignation as they navigate today’s information landscape.
Conducted through 82 in-depth interviews with social media users across Romania, Hungary, Poland, and the Hungarian community in Romania, the research paints a portrait of exhausted audiences, fraying trust, and platforms that shape how people see the world more than any newsroom does.
Scrolling over reading
One of the most telling trends is what the study calls blind scrolling, a passive, near-automatic habit of swiping through content without focus or intent. It’s not driven by curiosity or urgency but by habit. Interviewees across all demographics described being overwhelmed by content, emotionally fatigued by the volume, and unable or unwilling to disconnect.
This is more evident than how users approach news on different platforms.
In Romania, some interviewees described how young TikTok users often see political influencers as more reliable or trustworthy than professional journalists. In Hungary, Facebook remains a vital channel for personal and community ties, while in Poland, politically active users immerse themselves in real-time debates on X (formerly Twitter), enjoying a less ad-charged environment.
This platform-specific behavior reveals different consumption habits and deeper emotional and cultural shifts.Many respondents described traditional media as biased, shallow, or co-opted by political and corporate agendas. In Romania especially, the media is often seen as just another arm of the system – described as corrupt, elitist, and out of touch.
Who is more credible?
The result is a media environment in which influencers, vloggers, and amateur commentators often have more credibility than trained reporters. The lines between news and noise are increasingly blurred.
The study recommends abandoning outdated, top-down approaches and embracing more responsive, audience-led storytelling. It must adapt by listening more, engaging more deeply, and rebuilding trust from the ground up to remain relevant. This means rethinking how news is made and shared, investing in future generations’ media literacy, and defending the space for independent reporting.
In a digital environment defined by noise, speed, and blurred boundaries, the role of journalism is not just to inform but to help people make sense of the world and their place in it.
Download the full study HERE.
