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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 main findings from Hooked on the Feed: An Analysis on how Facebook, TikTok, and X shape information consumption in Eastern Europe, a new qualitative study by Thomson Foundation and the Media and Journalism Research Center, 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.
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 behaviour 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.
The result is a media environment in which influencers, vloggers, and amateur commentators often have more credibility than professional or trained reporters.
The findings suggest that for journalism to remain relevant, it must adapt to this changed information landscape. The study calls for a shift away from top-down content delivery, urging newsrooms to embrace more participatory models that listen, respond and reflect audience concerns.
It also highlights the need to invest in media literacy, particularly among younger users who are active online but often unable to evaluate sources or detect disinformation
Download the full study HERE.