The TMZ of Toronto; should 6ixbuzz TV be reprimanded for keeping today’s youth entertained?

BY JANIECE CAMPBELL

Toronto is a unique place. For a city with a heavily diverse population, it’s fascinating to see how well everyone seamlessly blends into one matchless culture. We’re all so different, but also extremely alike.

But are you really from Toronto if you haven’t heard someone scream “6ixbuzz!” while recording an absurd video?

Maybe you might be older and out of the loop. Gone are the days in the beginning of Toronto’s social media where everyone stayed connected through TDotWire or Vibe.TO. In today’s metropolis, 6ixbuzz TV has found its unique way in keeping the conversation rolling daily throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Self-defined as “#1 in Canadian Entertainment” according to their Instagram bio, the 6ixbuzz TV page is typically filled with the latest and wildest news paired with a mixture of informative and hilarious videos mostly related to the country. Often promoting local music and gaining the likes of numerous homegrown artists, 6ixbuzz TV also has a record deal partnership with Warner Music Canada under the label 6ixbuzz Entertainment. With intentionally impulse-provoking captions on their posts, it’s not uncommon to see users dropping their own opinions in the comment section.

The page amassed an enormous following of over 1.7 million followers in the short time that they’ve become popular. Followed by many prominent Canadians such as Drake, Premier Doug Ford and even NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, the account has managed to elevate far above just being your average Instagram user.

A social media page that interconnects the city, where’s the harm in that? Well, not everybody agrees that 6ixbuzz TV is an accurate representation of Toronto.

The page is notorious for giving a platform to who many would deem as undeserving individuals. Often criticized for promoting content of ignorant non-black people carelessly using the n-word, stealing other users’ content without crediting them, and glamorizing violence, 6ixbuzz has repeatedly presented itself to be outright controversial in several instances, a trait that should not define Toronto. A simple answer for these scandalous posts may be the notion of doing it for the likes, a sort of “all publicity is good publicity,” if you will. But at that point, are you really doing it for the city?

See, with great power comes great responsibility. As a platform that proclaims to be #1 and aims to bring Toronto together, the influence they carry often leads its audience astray. Let’s not forget an incident earlier this year, where an aspiring Toronto rapper forced a Jamaica-bound flight to turn around after he falsely claimed to have COVID-19. When the 28-year-old from Vaughan was asked why he chose to do such an irresponsible prank, he explained to the media, “Well, it was really just to create a viral video, to get something that, in my opinion, would have gone onto 6ixbuzz.” Now, obviously 6ixbuzz cannot be held responsible for what their followers decide to do or comment, but building a platform based on blatant negativity (such as inciting a collective hatred for neighbouring cities – e.g., Brampton) is a part of the problem and creates an environment that often encourages alienation rather than unification.

“People in 6ixbuzz’s comments are the most misogynistic, racist, homophobic people. Not only does 6ixbuzz intentionally use captions to divide people against one another, but then they act like they’re a hero? unfollow that clownery, the worse thing to happen to Toronto media,” says Twitter user @vyshnavimuthaly.

Recently, 6ixbuzz came forward with a statement following the conspicuous outrage of Black Lives Matter protests:

“I want to acknowledge that in the beginning stages of 6ixbuzztv we may not have always gotten it right. However, we have continued to learn, and we understand the responsibility that comes with having a large platform that influences youth. Our intention is to empower the youth in our city and provide avenues of opportunity.”

It’s fair to say that this new age non-traditional media outlet is one that doesn’t seem to be disappearing anytime soon. Moving forward, it’s hoped that they remain true to their word in beginning to shift from their previous distasteful reputation and start portraying Toronto and the GTA in a much more optimistic light.