July 22, 2022
Distrust makes Māori open to disinformation
A project tracking the rise of misinformation and disinformation since the start of the Covid pandemic has found some Māori are vulnerable to false messages being out by bad actors.
The Disinformation Project based at the University of Auckland-hosted Te Pūnaha Matatini Centre for Science in Society found the three-week occupation of Parliament Grounds stoked a significant increase in followers to disinformation channels on social media, and the trend has continued.
Project member Kate Hannah says disinformation can have a greater impact when it is shared within trusted networks as misinformation, especially when it connects with pre-existing ideas or feelings.
“For example, early in the pandemic one of the pieces of really resonant misinformation and disinformation we saw was disinformation that said if people sent their kids back to school the state was going to take their kids away and force them to be vaccinated. Now obviously when a community has experience of tamariki being taken by the state that resonates even though it is false,” she says.
Ms Hannah says the use of Māori memes and symbols like the He Wakapūtanga flag in anti-vaccination protests can give the impression there is widespread Māori support for the kaupapa, without any discussion at community level on how those symbols should be used.