Tag Archives: Meta

How social media is killing democracy

By Tracey Saxby, Originally published on My Sea To Sky

We’re living in an age of information—and disinformation.

Social media was supposed to bring people together, but instead it’s being weaponized to divide us. Algorithms are designed to amplify outrage, and it’s hard to tell truth from conspiracy.

With a federal election looming, the stakes have never been higher. Canada’s democracy is under attack. Disinformation divides our communities, erodes public trust, and makes it harder for voters to make informed choices.

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Delores Broten: The problem with Facebook

Google and Facebook took in $9.7 billion in advertising revenue during 2020, while the revenues of more traditional news outlets – who produce much of the actual news being posted on Facebook and Instagram – are failing. In response to Bill C-18, which requires them to pay Canadian media outlets a fraction of their advertisement revenues, the dynamic duo will no longer let Canadian news outlets post. 

This was brought home to Cortes Currents on Wednesday, August 2, when Facebook served notice that as a news outlet, Cortes Currents Facebook posts will no longer be viewable inside Canada. 

As only about 10% of my web traffic actually comes through Facebook, my reactions were mixed, but the strongest was curiosity. 

So I reached out to some local media outlets to find out:

  1. What is their opinion of the situation?
  2. How does being cut off from Facebook affect their publication? 

The first to respond was a well known former Cortes resident, Delores Broten of the Watershed Sentinel.  

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Grand Opening of the Outdoor Friday Market

The Grand Opening of the Outdoor Friday Market was on a warm summer day and hundreds of people may have passed through before it ended. There were 14 stalls clustered beneath the cedar trees and around the edges of the parking lot. I did not go inside the hall, which is always packed with tables. This was also the first of this summer’s live music performances at the adjoining Village Commons.

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