March 26, 2013
Social media essential for Maori rangatahi
A Massey University researcher has found social media like Facebook is becoming an important part of the way rangatahi construct their Māori identity, particularly those living away from their hau kainga.
Acushla Dee O’Carroll from the university's Whariki Research Group is looking at the effects of technology on Māori ways of connecting with each other.
She says with one in five Māori living in Australia and many others living outside their tribal areas, young people are looking to the internet for a sense of connection.
“Rangatahi Māori are using social media to find out more about their cultural identity so they’re connecting with Māori institutions such as hapū, mārae and iwi. Facebook pages enable a greater connectivity and communication with their tribal affiliations but also to get more involved and more information to find out things that are happening on the mārae and maybe even things in their own whakapapa,” she says.
Acushla Dee O’Carroll says many young people try to use the technology without understanding important aspects of the culture, which upset older people by doing things like posting photos of dead bodies for the benefit of those who can't attend a funeral.
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