“Did you know that Michael Cera is Canadian?”
For many of us, this sort of conversation is pretty much a national pastime. Canadians love Canadian celebrities—as well as making sure that you know your favorite rapper, actor, or comedian is actually Canadian. Topics of discussion can also include which celebrity is from your hometown, which one you were tangentially acquainted with before they moved to LA and got famous, and which ones your city would rather not be associated with after their getting together with a tech billionaire.
But if you’re not one of Drake or Justin Bieber, there’s a good chance the rest of the world might not even know you're Canadian.
Whether the rest of the world is aware or not, Canadian humour, music taste, and our slightly more relaxed culture surrounding cannabis use have worked their way into the international zeitgeist. Now, in a new age of social media stardom, the borders of the world have become irrelevant—anyone with an internet connection is able to capture the attention of social media users across the world.
While the internet has become a true global village pushing pop culture forward, it’s still important for Canadians to prove to future generations that you too can go from Degrassi High to accomplishing your dreams on an international scale.
Looking towards the future, how will Canadians push pop culture and social media in the years, decades, and centuries to come?
Canadian Slang Goes Global
Outside of the Nelk Boys' constant declarations of love for double-doubles, or a few viral Canadian heritage moments such as Shark Tank going out for a rip, Canadian culture and slang has mostly stayed within the country. Just this August, most of the world heard a Quebecois accent for the first time, when “ice cream so good” entered the public lexicon thanks to French-Canadian NPC streamer Pinkydoll. By the year 3000, we hope that tracks like 6ixreacts’ “Nyeah Eh” will be be remembered as important historical CanCon.
Hollywood North
We’ve already established that many of cinema's finest are actually Canadian, including at least more than one Ken in the new Barbie movie. It’s not uncommon to recognize a building from Vancouver or Toronto in a film that’s supposedly set in New York City, but it’s only a matter of time until the Hollywood sign crosses the border north. In 2023, Canadian films BlackBerry and I Like Movies received critical acclaim internationally, and the future of homegrown cinema is looking bright. In time, filmgoers the world over won't just want movies filmed in Canada and starring Canadians, they'll be asking for Canadian stories, too.
Our Love Of Sports Spreads
Though hockey’s representation in pop culture still falls a bit short in comparison to most other major sports, movies like The Mighty Ducks, Goon, and Letterkenny spinoff series Shoresy have brought the intensity and culture of Canada’s favourite sport to screens worldwide. Earlier this year, the Ottawa Senators made headlines when Ryan Reynolds, The Weeknd, and Snoop Dogg all expressed interest in purchasing the team. Though none of their bids ended successfully, any mention of the Ottawa Senators in the news is a win in the eyes of fans. Reynolds already owns a football club in Wales, but he seems ready to buy something stateside. If The Weeknd or another Canadian celeb buys a sports team, it'll start a domino effect where prospective Canadian owners will be lining up to own teams.
Canadians Use Their Media Power For Good
With the threat of complete environmental and societal collapse looming over our heads sometime between the next decade and the year 3000, it’s hopefully more than a pipe dream to imagine that eco-conscious Canadians will be some of the people to step and make positive changes before we get Don’t Look Up’d. Our country is home to some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the world, and while it would be cool to visit Lake Louise, or ride a raft down Niagara Falls in your augmented reality gaming room, we hope that some of the things that make Canada so great today are still around in the future. Canadians will use their online voices to spread awareness about climate change, and it'll prove instrumental in changing hearts and minds the world over before it's too late.
