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Cost of Living·FULL EPISODE

Let's get digital: from bitcoin to StockTok — plus what low literacy means for Canada's economy

This week on the Cost of Living — we talk cryptocurrency, the pitfalls of social media stock tips, and how reading and writing skills are a problem for Canadians in a shifting economy.

The Cost of Living for Sunday, January 17, 2021

CBC Radio ·
A bitcoin workshop in Calgary is pictured in 2018 (and yes, the wallet key QR codes have been blurred). The cryptocurrency is seeing a surge in value again in early 2021. (Sarah Rieger/CBC)
Cost of Living27:31Let's get digital: from bitcoin to StockTok — plus what low literacy means for Canada's economy

You can't really use bitcoin to buy, well, much of anything tangible. Yet the price of the cryptocurrency is soaring.

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So what is the value of something you can't exchange for many goods, and why are people buying in?
Cost of Living10:08The boom in bitcoin and whether you need to care about cryptocurrencies
Meanwhile on social media, TikTok videos about stocks and investments are getting millions of views — but is it just click-inflation?
Cost of Living4:54Is TikTok rocking the stock (picks) or just "pump and dump" for the social media age?
Finally, with a shift to the knowledge economy comes consequences for the Canadians who fall into the literacy gap. Who is in this group of people with low literacy skills, and what does it mean for their economic future?
Cost of Living10:19Low literacy in Canada is affecting both democracy and the economy

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