Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN)
The Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN) is a pioneering initiative committed to fortifying and fostering resilience within Canada's unique information ecosystem. Its mission is to understand the dynamics of information production, dissemination, and consumption across digital media with the goal of empowering Canadians to navigate the complexities of the modern digital age.
The CDMRN has been made possible through a large grant from Heritage Canada’s Digital Citizen Initiative.
CDMRN: Five Pillars of Operation
Recognizing the distinct challenges posed by misinformation, foreign interference, rising polarization, and growing institutional distrust, CDMRN’s approach is tailored to address the diverse research and policy needs of Canada. These needs reflect Canada’s unique characteristics as an officially bilingual nation with expansive regional variation, large diaspora communities and an information environment heavily influenced by the United States.
CDMRN is rooted in the following five pillars of operation:
1. Ongoing data collection: Collecting digital trace data from major social networks and conducting regular surveys to understand Canadians' attitudes and behaviors related to the information ecosystem.
2. Data stewardship: Building and maintaining an infrastructure to distribute data equitably to the Canadian research, civil society, and journalistic communities.
3. Analytical capacity: Fostering a community of practice focused on understanding and protecting the Canadian information ecosystem while providing training in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting digital trace and survey data.
4. Knowledge mobilization: Analyzing collected data to improve Canadian policymaking, engaging with actors across the political spectrum, communicating findings to the public, and supporting initiatives to better serve equity-seeking and vulnerable communities.
5. Incident response: Developing a rapid response protocol to address the spread of unverified, misleading, or false information that can impact the integrity of the Canadian information ecosystem.