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Wash the Hate: An Exploratory Study of the Online Anti-Asian Hate From an Asian-New Zealander Perspective

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Date

2023

Authors

Supervisor

Buttle, John

Item type

Thesis

Degree name

Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

This thesis explores the COVID-19-related xenophobia and racism that was directed towards individuals of Asian descent on Facebook and Twitter, better known as ‘Anti-Asian Hate ’, in colloquial terms. Three distinct time frames were selected, focusing on New Zealand-based COVID-19 events such as the first detection of COVID-19 in New Zealand, the March 2020 nationwide lockdown, and the first elevation in alert levels for the Auckland region in late 2020 as a response to COVID-19 being detected in the community. The research aimed to explore and answer the question “How can the social media discourse on the emergence of COVID-19 in China be understood by using an Asian-New Zealander lens?” The findings of the research suggest that factors that may contribute to such negative attitudes include a mistrust of governing bodies, the presence of misinformation on social media websites, an emphasis on the prejudiced views people have, as well as the questioning of the benefits and privileges that come with freedom of speech. The research also further confirmed a finding in previous research that was conducted in the United States, which suggested that social media often plays a role in spreading fake news and misinformation. This would therefore suggest that this spread of misinformation has an influence on people and some of the more recent historic events such as the Freedom Convoy protests that took place around the world. Further research into other Asian-New Zealanders’ experiences (and the experiences of other minorities that may have fallen victim to COVID-19-related scapegoating) would be needed to highlight who may have faced such adversity during the pandemic, where they might have been targeted, and how the comments that have been posted may have affected them.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10292/16356

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Masters Theses