July 25th 2021
        The Curious Case of 6ixBuzz TV

The way people spend their time, and the preferences thereof, particularly in wealthier nations, has
drastically changed over the last 30 years. New technology, comparable to other eras of
technological change, is the main driver of this. The obvious culprit here(1), an advent that has
become ever pervasive in the daily lives of millions, maybe billions, is the Internet. Although the
Internet is not alone in defining our era, and is not the only way people spend their time, it has
certainly come to dominate culture, workplaces, and daily life. If this wasn't true or noticeable
before the COVID-19 pandemic, then it certainly is now. Friends and strangers are communicated
with via social media, schooling is done through online education systems, work that can be done
remotely, is being done in a nice, familiar, home. Yes; today, as I sit writing this alone in my room, it
is appropriate to call Canada, an Internet Society(2).

Of the countless shifts the internet brought to culture, preferences, and daily life, one that sparks
particular interest is in what has happened to news and media. Gone are the days where the
newspaper, television set, or local traveller hold a monopoly on information or news; we call this
“the information age” for a reason(3). Media is becoming increasingly online based(4). The way young people consume news is especially telling. A survey that was conducted by the Reuters Institute highlighted many of these radical shifts; for the age group of 18-24, 45% say their first
contact with the news each morning comes through a smartphone, which is the highest of any
source. Out of that 45%, and this is of incredible importance, 57% choose social media(s), like
Twitter, Facebook, or Reddit. The millennial generation sits 14 percentage points lower, at 43%. To
summarize, this means that there is a substantial part of the younger generations that get their
news primarily through the internet, and social media. Zooming back in on Canada, the dramatic
shift of preference in terms of news consumption and media habits has consequently resulted in the
rise of what could be called ‘the new age media company’. Good or bad, the fact is there are now
social media based news outlets(5) that have more traffic and receive more eyeballs then an
established network on cable TV. A curious case; an example of one that has caught my eye, presides
proudly in the city of Toronto.

With the rise of Toronto’s rap scene has come an increasing amount of power figures like Drake
have over the overall culture in the city. Drake himself, who last year broke the record for
appearances on the Billboard Hot 100, is credited with creating a nickname for the city which has
caught on: The 6ix. He told Jimmy Fallon in an interview:

“Yes, our area code is 416,” Drake said, laughing. “We were debating on The Four, but I went tail-end on
them and went 6. And at one point Toronto was broken up into six areas (Old Toronto, Scarborough,
East York, North York, Etobicoke and York), so it’s all clicking man.”

Regardless of origin, the nickname has become very much established with young people, so much
so that whole brands are based off of it. An example, which is the curious case I will be examining, is
‘6ixBuzzTV’.







{The logo of 6ixBuzzTV}

6ixBuzzTV is unique, although not always for the right reasons. The media company has filled an
important niche in Toronto; hip hop, sports, entertainment, and breaking news, all primarily
focused on things within the city. Rising to popularity alongside the rise of social media itself,
6ixBuzz was formed in 2012, though has only gone under that name and logo since August 2017;
before then, it was Northbound Buzz. “Started from the bottom”, as Drake might say, 6ixBuzz has
gradually increased in following and outreach, eventually reaching where they are today, as of July
2021, having 2 million followers on instagram. Toronto’s population is 2.7 million(6).

This is not an advertisement or glorification of 6ixBuzzTv. Instead, I wish to acknowledge its
importance as a news outlet and its significance to contemporary youth culture across Canada. As
previously articulated, the era of newspaper or cable TV based news consumption is rapidly fading,
as internet based companies are leading the charge into a new one. 6ixBuzzTV is a prime example of
this. As more young people rely on social media to stay updated on world and local events, 6ixBuzz
has captured their attention, posting about anything from American Vice President Kamala Harris
discussing vaccines, to the Euro cup, and everything in between. Although, most of what they cover
is Toronto based, whether that be in music, sports, local politics, or just something wacky that
happened(7).

Today, 6ixBuzzTV’s instagram account is a prime source of news for thousands of (mostly young)
people in Canada. I call this a curious case because of the ramifications of such a situation. The
problems here are similar to social media news coverage in general. Firstly, it is very hard to go in
depth about a given topic, and with 6ixBuzz, they rarely do, posting a picture/video with a small
caption, usually asking others in the comments to talk it out amongst themselves. In a way, this is
good, because people can hear thousands of others opinions about a news event (or hip hop song),
and even argue in the comments. But for reasons of context and clarity, this is dangerous because
oftentimes there will not be enough information for anyone to make a coherent informed judgment
call. Secondly, it further simplifies our conception of what is going on. If 6ixBuzzTV replaces the
newspaper, the radio, books, or even other websites online, as the predominant way of obtaining
knowledge, that knowledge is going to be very shallow, and fully dependent on what they decide to post. Anecdotally, there are too many people I meet and come across that know only of something
after 6ixBuzz covers it, or only care about it until it reaches their threshold as newsworthy.

6ixBuzzTV is also interesting because of the way they cover the news. On July 21st, their instagram
posted a photo of a twitter caption reading:

“According to a survey half of Vaccinated Canadians say it’s unlikely they’ll hang out with unvaxxed
people”.

The photo showed a pop up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in a gymnasium, implying it was that
vaccine they were referring to. The claim, and supposed survey, were uncited and non-obtainable
through their account. The very next day, 6ixBuzzTV posted multiple videos from inside a hospital,
this time, of a young woman named Georgia Rose who developed “neurological issues” after taking
her second Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The video shows her struggling to walk, move, breath, and live
overall. It is truly painful to watch. Beyond the immediate emotional response, what is the
media consumer getting from this video? There is no argument, no data, and no concrete source or
context as to what happened. At face value, it just appears as a stand alone video documenting the
hardships of a woman in Georgia.

In the comments of both of these posts are countless comments accusing 6ixBuzzTV of many things.
The most prevalent, the claim that they are trying to divide Canadians and create division. A
comment with 6,201 likes at the time of writing this, which is the most on this specific post, read:

“Stop creating division fo no reason”

Here, the commentator calls out 6ixBuzz for the way they report the news, and a follower of them
would know that this is not the first time they have acted like this. An educated and detailed view
from different sides of an argument is preferred, and is ideally how all news should operate; this is
hardly what 6ixBuzz is doing here. Instead, this is lazy journalism, meant to provoke people using
provocative language and captions, potentially leading them to a faulty conclusion, and ultimately,
creating division between people. This is why 6ixBuzzTV is so fascinating and thought provoking:
Why do they do this? Do they like stirring the pot? Does it make them more money this way? Or are
there ulterior motives at play?

These questions may go unexamined, for now, until I return to the subject. The presence of
Canadian politicians like Doug Ford and John Tory, both in the comments of posts and in the posts
themselves, raises other questions, like the relationship between government and 6ixBuzz. It is fair
to say now that some within the Canadian establishment have recognized the importance of the
internet, and how it has and is shaping the minds of young people. Bill C-10, proposed by the federal
Liberals, is an example of this recognition. 6ixBuzzTV happens to be the largest purely social media
“news outlet” in the country, based in the largest city in Canada. Surely, this is, in fact, a curious case,
and that curiosity isn't just felt by me?

On the topic of this article, I understand this may seem like a minuscule, rather unacademic subject, but I assure you, in our age of social media and internet interconnectedness, the world is changing, and cases like these need to be talked about. Whether this change is good, is not the point, even though I may argue this new form of media has produced a decline in journalistic rigour. 6ixBuzz has turned into somewhat of a Canadian media empire, and is very much affecting the world view of young people, which is why I chose to discuss it here.