Following Meta’s decision last August to block Canadian news content on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, nearly three in 10 online Canadians (29 per cent) say they are using the websites or apps of Canadians news organizations more, according to a new report from the Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a product of CBC/Radio-Canada.
The most popular source among Canadians for online news are Canadian news broadcasters, the report says.
“While Canadians are mentioning traditional outlets like TV and radio as being used more for news content, 18 to 34 year olds are looking more to YouTube and other social networking platforms to get their content,” said an MTM press release highlighting the findings in its Meta and News report, released Tuesday.
The report is based on data from a survey conducted from Oct. 12 to Dec. 30, 2023.
More than three-quarters (78 per cent) of online Canadians are aware that Meta is blocking news on Facebook and Instagram, according to the report. However, awareness of the ban is lower among those who do use Facebook or Instagram for news content (70 per cent and 66 per cent, respectively), and among younger online Canadians (63 per cent).
More than one-third (35 per cent) of online Canadians feel they will consume less Canadian news as a result of Meta’s news blocking, the report says. Most likely to believe their consumption of Canadian news will decrease are 18 to 34 year olds (44 per cent). Women are also more likely to feel this way than are men (39 per cent vs. 31 per cent), according to the report.
Image borrowed from the Media Technology Monitor report
