43% of U.S. adults get news from Facebook. Facebook and other social media have hollowed out news sources, depriving them of much revenue in a race towards the bottom. It is a world of what can generate the most clicks rather than careful investigative reporting. News is reduced to sound bites in the race to maximize engagement in a world of decreased attention spans.
The hollowing out of news is important on account of the role of the news media as a fourth estate, capable of keeping check on corporations and governments. Without sufficient funding democracy withers.