In August, Meta decided to remove all news feeds from their Facebook and Instagram platforms in Canada in response to the Online News Act, Bill C-18 that was passed in June 2023. This law requires social media tech companies to pay Canadian news organizations that upload content on their platforms. Meta’s ban will affect how Canadians get their news.
According to the Canadian government, the bill was passed to help “support news businesses to secure fair compensation when their news content is made available by dominant digital news intermediaries and generates economic gain.”
The new law will reportedly come into effect at the end of the year, and Google has also released a statement that they are considering taking similar action.
According to a statement from Meta, they believe that “the legislation is based on the incorrect premise that Meta benefits unfairly from news content shared on our platforms, when the reverse is true.”
“I imagine that these big social media platforms are getting a little bit scared,” said Dr. Noah Schwartz, assistant professor of political science, in reference to Australia’s enactment of the News Media Bargaining Code back in 2021. “More and more countries are going to start wanting to do this, and it’s going to cut into their business model.” Meta also temporarily banned Australian news feeds from their platforms in retaliation to the legislation.
“It feels like we are reversing instead of progressing,” said Anaahat Sohal, a UFV student, regarding Meta’s action to block Canadian news feeds. I don’t know why there is a need to do that at all.” Sohal goes on different social media platforms to stay informed.
“I would do informal surveys asking how many people get their news from social media,” said Schwartz. “I think more and more people are relying on it.”
“I think the problems are a result of the way it’s used,” said Dr. Jeffery Orr, associate professor of digital communication, “but the way it’s used is influenced by the algorithms, and if you make a real effort to keep a balanced news feed, you can do it on social media. But if you tilt a little bit towards one side or the other, as many of us do, then you’re going to end up having those tilts or biases reinforced by the algorithmic structures of the platform itself — and that’s a problem.”
Rudraksh Nagpal, a UFV student, explained that he relied on social media to get his news, “but since the ban on Facebook, I have no idea what is going on.” He now has to rely on other resources like reading newspapers to stay informed.
“Social media and Facebook products certainly have a place in social discourse,” said Orr. “They’re great for connecting friends and family. They run into difficulties when they become an alternative news source because, algorithmically speaking, they feed perspectives, opinions and news stories that are not as impartial as they ought to be.”
In response to Meta’s decision, the Canadian government has pulled their advertisements from both Facebook and Instagram, saying the company is being “irresponsible” because they would rather remove the content than pay the news organizations.
“We need more Canadian journalism with greater reach, not less,” said Orr, who is concerned over Meta’s actions, and thinks that their decision “is disadvantaging Canadian journalism.”
Schwartz thinks that this should be “a wake up call for people to start thinking about diversifying their news sources and trying to go right to the source rather than relying on social media.”
Rachel is working towards a BA with a concentration in English and Theatre. She has been employed at The Cascade since Fall 2021 as a Staff Writer and a Jr. News Editor. Currently, she is the sectional News Editor and enjoys meeting and interviewing people as well as taking long walks in nature. Rachel also likes to stay up to date on the latest trends and informs students through her fashion column entitled Campus Fashion.
