Sonia Says: Social Media Coach, Marketing Consultant

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Sonia Dasgupta is a strategist, storyteller, and founder of Sonia Says — a creative consultancy helping brands, leaders, and changemakers grow through purposeful storytelling and smart social strategy. With years of experience leading digital content and social teams across media organizations — including WJLA-TV, WUSA9, WJZ-TV, and CBS — Sonia has built a career at the intersection of journalism, audience engagement, and brand development. Her work has driven millions of impressions, built communities, and helped public figures and organizations show up online with clarity and confidence. Today, through Sonia Says, she offers strategy, coaching, and content services designed to help clients stand out authentically — pairing creativity with data, and purpose with personality. When she’s not crafting strategy or mentoring the next generation of journalists, Sonia can usually be found near the water, exploring new cities, or creating something that tells a story worth sharing.
The social media reality check newsrooms need in 2026

The social media reality check newsrooms need in 2026

Everyone keeps saying Facebook is dead.

The data says otherwise.

If your newsroom needs a New Year’s resolution, here’s one: stop building digital strategies based on assumptions — and start building them on audience behavior.

According to Nov. 2025 report of Americans social media use in 2025 from the Pew Research Center, YouTube remains the most widely used social platform in the United States, with Facebook close behind. Instagram now reaches about half of all U.S. adults. Meanwhile, platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and Snapchat continue to grow — but their strength is audience-specific, not universal.

This isn’t about defending any one platform. It’s about confronting a hard truth many newsrooms still avoid:

The problem isn’t that audiences left. It’s that strategies didn’t evolve with them.

The Myth of the “Dead” Platform

For years, Facebook has been written off in media circles as irrelevant or past its prime. And yet, Pew’s data shows it remains one of the most-used platforms among U.S. adults — especially older audiences who still make up a significant portion of local news consumers.

YouTube tells a similar story. It’s not flashy or new, but it dominates reach and daily usage. And while Instagram continues to grow, its audience makeup and engagement patterns are very different from TikTok or Snapchat.

The takeaway is simple:

  • Mass reach still lives on so-called legacy platforms
  • Growth platforms are powerful — when used intentionally
  • No single platform can carry your entire digital strategy

One Audience, Many Platforms

Pew’s research makes one thing crystal clear: social media is not one audience. It’s many.

Platform usage varies widely by age, gender, education level, and race. Younger audiences over-index on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Older adults are far more likely to use Facebook and YouTube regularly. Reddit and X attract niche, highly engaged users, but not at scale.

Yet many newsrooms still publish the same content, in the same format, across every platform — then wonder why engagement is flat.

Distribution without differentiation is not strategy.

Why Daily Habits Matter More Than Trends

One of the most overlooked insights in Pew’s data is frequency of use. It’s not just about who has an account — it’s about where people show up every day.

Daily habits are where loyalty, trust, and repeat engagement are built. That matters deeply for journalism.

If your newsroom is chasing the newest platform while ignoring where your audience already spends time, you’re trading consistency for novelty.

What This Means for Newsrooms in 2026

Here’s the uncomfortable but necessary reset:

  • Stop letting platform hype dictate editorial priorities
  • Audit where your audience actually engages — by platform and by age
  • Match content formats to user behavior, not newsroom convenience
  • Measure success by meaningful engagement, not vanity metrics

HOT TAKE: If your digital strategy is based on vibes instead of data, it’s time for a reset.

The future of news isn’t about abandoning platforms. It’s about using them with intention.

Because attention didn’t disappear — it just moved.

And the newsrooms willing to follow it will be the ones that grow.

Source: Social Media Fact Sheet (Pew Research Center, Nov. 2025)

Report: America’s Social Media Use 2025 (Pew Research Center, Nov. 2025)

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