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Topic

It’s an Information Highway”: Social Media, the Digital Divide, and Inuvialuit Food Systems in Inuvik, NWT

School of Environmental Studies

Date & location

• Wednesday, April 1, 2026

• 10:00 A.M.

• Clearihue Building, Room B021

• & Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Gerald Singh, School of Environmental Studies, ̽��ϵ�� (Co-Supervisor)

• Dr. Matthew Little, School of Public Health and Social Policy, UVic (Co-Supervisor)

• Dr. Tiff-Annie Kenny, School of Environmental Studies, UVic (Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Kelly Skinner, School of Public Health Science, University of Waterloo 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Prof. Malcolm Gaston, School of Public Administration, UVic

Abstract

Sharing and trading country foods has been an important cultural practice among Inuvialuit (Inuit of the Western Arctic) for millennia. Such practices are essential for maintaining positive social relationships and promoting food security. In recent decades in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), social media has become an increasingly important tool for facilitating food practices, including Facebook, which is now used to coordinate food sales and share food preparation advice. Despite the growing popularity of online tools for food-related communication, research has yet to explore community perceptions and experiences of the impacts of social media platforms on food access, affordability, preparation, and safety. Such research is important for regional organizations and policymakers to better understand food systems in the region in the digital age. Using community-based semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, this thesis presents participants’ perspectives on social media use, Inuvialuit food systems and the digital divide (unequal access to digital opportunities). It explores participant perspectives on which social media platforms are most frequently used in the ISR and how the digital divide affects their use, how social media is used in the ISR to discuss food related topics and how community members perceive its use. Findings indicate that for many, social media is an important part of everyday life in the ISR. Most notably, Facebook is often used to sell, trade, and share food within and between communities, while TikTok is used for the wider dissemination of food-related knowledge. However, access to the internet and digital literacy were seen as factors which can limit participation. While participants were worried that social media could erode Inuvialuit food-related values and traditions, they indicated that social media supports food security (by facilitating food sharing, trading, and selling) and intergenerational knowledge transfer.