August 19, 2013
Social media research wins Fulbright
A Massey University PhD candidate has won a Fulbright-Harkness New Zealand Fellowship to continue her research into how indigenous communities use social networking sites.
Acushla Dee O’Carroll from Ngaruahine, Ngāti Ruanui and Te Ati Awa plans to deliver lectures in Hawaii and Seattle, Washington as well as discuss her findings with other indigenous researchers.
She says she wants to get a feel for whether other people are using Facebook and Twitter for cultural revitalisation, and whether it is substituting for face contacts.
Ms O’Carroll says as Māori are forced to leave their haukainga by pressures of employment, education, financial and family contexts, they are using the internet and social media sites to continue to participate in the cultural, social and political activities of their marae.
She says they can also find it easier to express their pride in being Māori in the virtual world than it is in the real world where they can still experience discrimination, racism and marginalisation.
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