Media Ecosystem Observatory

You can continue to explore our work at meo.ca, and cdmrn.ca for information incident and elections monitoring.

Last Fall, MEO joined the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy under one unified banner. We will continue producing cutting-edge research on information ecosystem health, and our original data and research will support the Centre's policy work.

🚨 MEO is moving 🚨 Follow @mediatechdemocracy.bsky.social for updates on our information ecosystem research! 🧵

The Illusion of AI Companionship for Young Males | The Tyee As boys navigate online spaces saturated with hypermasculine messages, we need to rein in chatbots.

Check out the latest article from Esli Chan (Doctoral Fellow at the Observatory) on the "Illusion of AI Companionship for Young Males" in @thetyee.ca!

Read it here: tinyurl.com/2dmck2vd

This summer, David Suzuki received attention for his iPolitics interview titled: “‘It’s too late’: David Suzuki says the fight against climate change is lost.” This shift in tone led us to ask: Are Canadians Climate Doomers? @chrispyross.bsky.social 🧵

Are Canadians Climate Doomers? — Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy

You can read "Are Canadians Climate Doomers?," by @chrispyross.bsky.social, here: tinyurl.com/29skan7u

Chris Ross is a senior analyst for @meo-cdmrn.bsky.social. He has a MA in Political Science from McGill University.

The committee also heard testimony from
@etbrooking.bsky.social, Director of Strategy & Sr. Resident Fellow at CDMRN coalition partner @dfrlab.bsky.social/ Atlantic Council.

This morning, MEO Director @abridgman.bsky.social is testifying on foreign election interference at The House of Commons' Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs #PROC

Watch the livestream here: tinyurl.com/52u2s6f2

Un grand merci à @binhanv.bsky.social pour cet article, ainsi qu’à @abridgman.bsky.social, Diya Jiang, Mika Desblancs-Patel et @mathieulavigne.bsky.social, et tous nos chercheurs qui ont contribué à mieux faire connaître les coulisses de notre travail.

Réseaux sociaux et démocratie : bruit, opacité et risques À moins d'augmenter l'encadrement des plateformes, les tentatives de manipulation politique pourraient avoir le dessus sur notre capacité à les détecter.

Au printemps, l'équipe de Découverte de @info.radio-canada.ca a suivi l'équipe de l'OEM pour mieux comprendre notre projet de surveillance des élections fédérales canadiennes de 2025. Voici le résultat de leur travail : tinyurl.com/n3tvcjn9

Après une année marquée par l'ascension de l'IA générative et l'impact croissant des influenceurs sur les chambres d’écho, nos chercheurs sonnent l'alerte : sans règles claires ni transparence des plateformes, la manipulation pourrait bientôt dépasser notre capacité de détection. 🧵

Comparing Canadian and American perceptions of political violence — Canadian Digital Media Research Network Charlie Kirk’s assassination, an act of political violence, intensified national debate about polarization and free speech. We examine public attitudes towards political violence, assessing whether th...

To learn more about Canadian and American perceptions of political violence, read our full update here: tinyurl.com/yc22y65u

Authors: @chrispyross.bsky.social, @mathieulavigne.bsky.social, Esli Chan, Diya Jiang

Together, these patterns indicate that the shadow of political violence shapes how people perceive the state of their democracy, dissent, and political participation.

Figure 7. Comparing Canadian and American self-reported likelihood of avoiding political activities due to concerns about political violence

Almost 1 in 2 Americans AND Canadians report avoiding political participation (i.e. posting online, attending protests, putting up lawn signs) due to fears of political violence. 1 in 5 Canadians report not wanting to be a public figure because of this!

Figure 6. Canadian perceptions of whether political violence is sometimes necessary for social change over time and by age group

Younger Canadians are starting to think political violence is necessary for social change. We found that for Younger Canadians aged 18-25, 1 in 3 agree that violence can be necessary.

Figure 5. Partisan breakdowns of Canadian and American assessments of whether political violence will get worse or better in the next few years

Pessimism by partisanship was inverse. In the U.S., Democrats are more likely to think things are getting worse but in Canada, it’s Conservatives who feel this way; about half think that things are headed the wrong way.

Figure 4. Comparing Canadian and American assessments of whether political violence will get worse or better in the next few years

Pessimism is higher for the US. When we asked if political violence will get worse, Canadians were split; approximately 2 in 3 think violence in the U.S. will get worse, while approximately 1 in 3 say the same for Canada.

Figure 1. Comparing Canadian and American views on whether Charlie Kirk’s assassination reflects a broader societal problem

We found that both Canadians and Americans think the shooting represents a broader societal problem, though people are more concerned about political violence in the U.S. than in Canada.

The #CharlieKirk shooting has sparked widespread debate about political violence. So, we surveyed Canadians to evaluate their perceptions of the event and political violence, comparing our results to U.S. data when available. Here's what we found 🧵

#cdnpoli #uspoli

Canadians Are Turning to Influencers for Information on Politics | The Tyee A study shows that social media creators have overtaken news media and party campaigns.

I wrote about a really interesting study from @meo-cdmrn.bsky.social, which really made me think about how hard it is to define what an "influencer" is! A super interesting look at the growth of political commentary by social media influencers thetyee.ca/News/2025/11...

Polling Shows That Canadians Support Action on Climate Information Integrity — Media Ecosystem Observatory polling climate disinformation canada information integrity

Read more about our polling, led by @sonjasolomun.bsky.social and @chrispyross.bsky.social, here: tinyurl.com/4vvwrnkt

We found that 78% of Canadians are concerned about harmful information circulating during crises like wildfires and floods. 86% believe the government should require social media platforms to ensure accurate information during extreme weather events.

Canada has officially joined the UN's Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change! This announcement reflects our recent polling, which found that 82% of Canadians want Canada to participate in global efforts to strengthen information integrity online. 🧵

The rise of political influencers in Canada's digital information ecosystem — Media Ecosystem Observatory This information ecosystem brief maps the role of political influencers in Canada’s online information ecosystem from January 2024 – July 2025.

Read our brief on the rise of political influencers in Canada here: tinyurl.com/msyrvmk9

Thank you the authors:
@zeytinim.bsky.social , Ph.D., @junyanzhu.bsky.social, Ph.D., @chrispyross.bsky.social, Diya Jiang, Saewon Park, Esli Chan, Jennie Phillips, Ph.D., @abridgman.bsky.social , Ph.D.

What does this mean for communicators, policymakers, and civil society? They can learn from political influencers by crafting communication strategies that are aligned with how today's information ecosystem actually works.

This trend is not unique to Canada. A recent report from Reuters Institute found that in Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, and the U.S., news creators have become highly impactful. People in these markets reported paying more attention to influencers than mainstream news brands.

Influence is shifting from institutions to individuals with news outlets, political parties, and advocacy groups not reaching as many people as they used to. As political influencers rise in prominence, they are not subject to formal accountability mechanisms.

Figure 1. Self-reported engagement with influencers.

Younger Canadians lead this shift: 64% of Canadians aged 18–34 engage with political influencers. “In 2025, Canadians online are (far) more likely to see a political opinion from an influencer than from a politician.”

Figure 5. Monthly post volume across platforms (Jan. 2024–July 2025).

We found that influencers now drive over 1/2 of political content and nearly 2/3 of all online engagement in Canada. They're not just lifestyle or entertainment figures anymore, with many actively shaping public debate, framing key political events, and mobilizing audiences.

Influencers are the internet's new information brokers, setting the pace for political conversation that traditional outlets and organizations struggle to match. Our latest brief maps these creators' role in Canada's digital landscape between Jan. 2024–July 2025. 🧵

#cdnpoli