The Canadian Information Ecosystem
Aengus Bridgman, Alexei Abrahams, Thomas Bergeron, Thomas Galipeau, Blake Lee-Whiting, Haaya Naushan, Saewon Park, Sara Parker, Zeynep Pehlivan, Jennie Phillips, Benjamin Steel, Peter Loewen, Taylor Owen
December 14, 2023 — This report captures a snapshot of the Canadian information ecosystem in 2023. It is the first such effort to provide a baseline against which future studies can be benchmarked. It offers a range of analyses, reflections, and insights into the Canadian information environment. Behind these are millions of data points drawn from social media and surveys. An exceptionally talented and energetic team of scholars have collected, cleaned, analysed, and interpreted the data and have laid out their empirical assessment of the nature and character of the Canadian information ecosystem.
This report is part of a broader ambitious project aiming to radically increase Canadian capacity to study and understand the way information comes to shape the political discourse and inform the attitudes and behaviours of Canadians. This project — the Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN) — is many years in the making and exists today because many leading scholars and public servants recognize the urgent need to better understand the forces shaping our information ecosystem. The Research Network is funded by Heritage Canada’s Digital Citizen Initiative.
The investigation was part of a broad study on the state of the Canadian media ecosystem, using a unique methodology that combines the analysis of social media data with behaviour survey research. The study draws upon four large surveys (totalling 9055 Canadians) and social media posts from over 3000 politically influential individuals and organizations in Canada. Key findings include:
The number of Canadians relying primarily on social media for political news has increased. These individuals have low trust in traditional media and contribute to an overall dramatic decline in trust in Canadian and international news outlets over the past five years.
Social media use is ubiquitous among Canadian politicians, particularly on the Meta platforms. 96% of Canadian federal and provincial politicians have a Facebook page and their content tends to focus on their riding and province.
A small number of Canadian individuals and organizations enjoy a disproportionate share of social influence. For example, on YouTube, among Canadian political content makers the top ten garner 71% of views.
English Canadians are more aware of the political and media environment of the United States than they are of French-speaking Canadian content. They have very low recognition of public figures from French-speaking Canada, even among those who have risen to national prominence. French-speaking Canadians are similarly (un)aware of public figures in English-speaking Canada.
Canadians who deny that human activity is causing climate change are far less likely to report that the 2023 wildfire season personally impacted them and their friends and family.
About the Media Ecosystem Observatory
The Media Ecosystem Observatory is an interdisciplinary research initiative dedicated to analyzing the complex web of online harms and digital threats to democracy, while actively working to safeguard against them.
About the Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN)
The Observatory coordinates and supports the Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN). The CDMRN is a pioneering initiative committed to fortifying and fostering resilience within Canada's unique information ecosystem. Its mission is to understand the dynamics of information production, dissemination, and consumption across digital media with the goal of empowering Canadians to navigate the complexities of the modern digital age.
The report by the CDMRN has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au gouvernement du Canada.