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Influencers — not news outlets or politicians — ‘dominated’ election online: report

Earlier this year, the Canadian Digital Media Research Network found influencers, not news outlets or politicians, dominated online attention across platforms including X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Platform changes such as Meta's news ban and X's visibility shifts elevated non-news voices and 'infotainment' publishers, while Elon Musk's takeover fragmented users toward alternatives like Bluesky.
Researchers tracked about 4,000 Canadian entities between Feb. 23 and May 28, defining influencers as individuals with 10,000 followers who produced 47 per cent of political content.
The report called on online platforms to increase transparency and urged influencers to verify information, disclose sponsored content and provide credible voting guidance as democratic responsibility.
The study highlights a blurry line between influencers and traditional media in Canada, where many political influencers also maintain traditional-media footprints, complicating accountability and increasing risks of foreign interference and misinformation.

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Influencers—Not News Outlets or Politicians—‘Dominated’ Election Online: Report

Influencers had the “loudest voices” online in this spring’s federal election, overtaking news outlets and politicians, says a new report. The report from the Canadian Digital Media Research Network, co-ordinated by the McGill University and University of Toronto-led Media Ecosystem Observatory, looked at the election information environment. Influencers were the most active in terms of frequency and volume of online posts and received the most …

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