New Leger poll shows vast majority of Canadians believe Facebook is harmful
A new online survey conducted by Leger finds that the vast majority of Canadians have a negative opinion of Facebook.
Asking people on the streets if they have a Facebook account, it seems like everyone does.
“Yeah I do,” said Keith Muffly.
“Yeah I do, yup,” said Sandra Chen.
Ask those same people their opinions on the social media platform and you’ll hear similar views as well.
“It’s like any tool,” said Muffly. “If you use it properly or with the best intentions it can be good, but I think the way it’s used for a lot of things now, it’s probably not as great.”
“I think it’s a negative for society,” said Chen.
The results of Leger’s poll match those perspectives.
Eighty-seven per cent of Canadians believe Facebook can be harmful to children and teenagers who use it. The same number also believe Facebook contributes to misinformation and the sharing of fake news.
Seventy-eight percent believe Facebook amplifies hate speech and gives radicalized individuals a platform, but 77 per cent say Facebook allows them to stay connected with loved ones.
That’s keeping many of those users logged-on, even though they are conflicted.
“They’ve got people by the heartstrings because of the ways in which they are able to stay in touch with family who might be in other provinces, states, other countries,” said Janni Aragon, adjunct assistant professor of political science at the University of Victoria.
“Yet they also understand that misinformation is a serious problem.”
The survey was conducted on the heels of a former employee and whistleblower coming forward in the U.S. and testifying in a Senate hearing. She said that Facebook is aware of the negative impacts of its platforms, but that the social media giant puts profits before people’s well-being.
The survey also shows that 58 per cent of Canadians think that the Facebook conglomerate – which includes Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram – should be either regulated by the government or broken up to ensure healthy competition.
Aragon believes one of those two options could be coming.
“I just don’t see us moving forward with Instagram suddenly having new owners,” said Aragon. “If anything, what we might see is more oversight.”
With all the recent bad press and revelations about Facebook’s impact on people’s lives, many won’t commit to ridding themselves of the app forever.
“I don’t use it all the time,” said Muffly. “I go through certain periods (where) you just stop using it.”
“I don’t have it active during the winter time,” said Chen. “I only have it active in the summer, which is when I want the intel and the information, otherwise I deactivate it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.