"Ankit Khanal gets his news from News Daddy. More than 20 times a day, Khanal, a sophomore at George Mason University, opens TikTok to have the biggest stories of the day delivered to him by a bleach-blonde 26-year-old named Dylan Page, one of the leading faces in a growing community of news influencers. Based in the United Kingdom, Page began posting content on TikTok in August 2020 and has since grown his "News Daddy Empire," his posts amassing over 1.5 billion likes."
"As a computer science major, Khanal says he's cautious of algorithms and their effects on media consumption. He even wrote and delivered a speech on the topic to his peers for one of his classes. The thesis: "If you realize it or not, algorithms are determining everything on social media. From the content that you interact with to the opinions you form on the app. They are secretly affecting your life in ways that can be harmful.""
"The irony is not lost on him. Khanal understands TikTok is not always a reliable source; his presentation thoroughly explained how misinformation is quick to spread on social media. If Khanal wants to fact-check a video, he browses the comment section. "Most of the time, if the video is big enough, you will see something in the top comments telling you, like, 'Hey, this is just wrong.' That's when I would actually look.""
College students increasingly turn to TikTok and Instagram for news, favoring quick, influencer-driven formats over traditional outlets. Influencers like Dylan Page condense breaking news, politics, and pop culture into short, charismatic videos that reach large audiences. Students often recognize algorithmic influence and the risk of misinformation, yet continue to rely on these platforms for convenience and engagement. Fact-checking frequently occurs informally through comment sections rather than established journalistic verification. Platform algorithms and influencer sourcing create a news ecosystem where speed, personality, and algorithmic curation shape exposure to information more than conventional reporting.
Read at The Verge
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