TV VS TELEGRAM: CURRENT TRENDS IN MEDIA CONSUMPTION, TRUST IN INFORMATION SOURCES AND IMPACT EFFECTIVENESS

The article attempts to find answers to topical questions of our time: which of the information channels is today not only the most popular, but also the most effective tool for forming public opinion, and also whether such traditional media as television can resist new media in the struggle for the trust of the audience. Special attention is paid to the analysis of preferences of various audience groups, correlations: age – source of information – trust. The main competitor of television in the media market are Telegram channels, which have rapidly captured the attention of a large part of the Russian audience. Researchers hypothesize that, within the framework of this confrontation, according to which channel of information a person prefers, it is possible to judge his views and political position. As a result of the analysis of the results of the available media measurements of various institutions for the study of public opinion, we found that the preferences of the most active audience (35-55 years old) are poorly studied for various reasons, therefore, to study this audience, the most important for understanding media processes, a separate differentiated study was conducted using sociological methods and comparative analysis. The results of the study of preferences and the level of trust of the selected category of citizens showed which sources and forms of media product consumption are priority and how the level of trust in sources, in particular to TV and Telegram channels, correlates with the critical analysis of news and analytical information. Telegram came out on top in popularity, which was the result of significant changes in the principles of media consumption under the influence of digitalization. However, the hypothesis that new media are the prerogative of a young audience, for the most part broadcast an alternative state position, and therefore have a high attendance, and the active audience of Telegram channels wants to be independent in their assessments and opinions, is refuted.