The Social Media Lab conducts research in a wide variety of areas, including Social Media Use, Misinformation, Health, Information Privacy, Online Communities, and Politics. The broad aim of the Lab’s various research initiatives is to provide decision makers with additional knowledge and insights into the behaviours and relationships of online social network members, and to understand how these interpersonal connections influence our personal choices and actions. We also develop research apps, tools and methods for collecting, analyzing and visualizing publicly available social media data.

Data About Canadians For Canadians: An overwhelming majority of online Canadian adults (95%) have at least one social media account, making Canada one of the most connected countries in the world. Our various public reports provide snapshots of social media usage trends in Canada and Canadians’ attitudes towards issues such as misinformation, politics, and privacy on social media.

Advancing Scholarly Research: We have published over 100 journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters in high-impact venues. Our peer-reviewed research contributes significantly to the understanding of online communities and digital communication.

No Programming Required: We develop easy-to-use research apps, tools, and visualization dashboards to support researchers, journalists, and policymakers. Our apps and research tools are used by thousands of students, educators, researchers and practitioners around the world. To learn more about what we’ve developed and link to our curated Social Media Research Toolkit, go here.