TORONTO – Pop musician Sara Quin says social media has “tragically torn the world to shreds” in recent years, and it’s time people consider ways to reestablish a more positive sense of community.
The Calgary-raised performer, who’s part of the duo Tegan and Sara, says while she’s certain some have found “beautiful connection online,” she fears it’s done more to “ruin the world” and stoke political divisions.
Quin was joined by her twin sister Tegan at Toronto’s Departure Festival for a conversation about the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which they created in 2016 after the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The foundation offers financial support to grassroots and community-based organizations such as youth summer camps, and helped create an LGBTQ+ health care directory.
The sisters say they want to back initiatives that help build stronger communities, something that’s become even more important to them in their mid-40s.
Sara Quin says she used to subscribe to the mindset that it was better to “silence, shun or push out” people who didn’t agree with her views, but she found it only left her feeling isolated.
“We have got to be willing to listen to each other, make space for ideas and opinions that don’t line up with ours, and figure out if there’s a consensus,” she said Wednesday.
“I just want to see people be civil with each other,” she added.
“I don’t want to see politicians dismissing, chastising and brutalizing each other for fun, likes (or) bits on the internet. I just want to see people be kinder.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
