Right after Google shut down Reader for me. Twitter remains the best source of news + programming + local + academic content for me. Although on the whole I'm a little burned out on 'content' in general.
All I can say is, follow reporters who handle topics you're interested in and it's like having your own personal news site. A messier, but more direct advance beyond RSS (which I also still use religously).
Have you tried inoreader? I use it pretty much just like I used Google Reader.
Twitter was amazing useful after the big earthquake/nuclear issues in 2011 (I live in Japan).
That and LINE
For me it was mainly twitter for news. Facebook was useful immediately after the quake to let family back home know that I was OK while the phone lines were still jammed. I also used it as a way to relay news in English to Facebook friends in Japan who can't read Japanese.