There are those that say the social media will break down barriers and bring people together but research reveals racism in comments made online.
Analysis of more than 1,000 online responses to videos featuring infamous New Zealand race furores involving Paul Henry and Hone Harawira are “disturbing” and illustrative of a “dark underbelly” in New Zealand society according to Deputy director of Victoria University’s Centre of Applied Cross-Cultural Research James Liu, who supervised the research.
“There has been a lot of analysis of print media but not much has been done on social media. Social media allows a broader spectrum of opinion and allows people to talk openly and with anonymity.
“This is opening a door to the basement of society and the basement is very dark,” said Liu
The research, presented at the Human Rights Commission’s National Diversity Forum in Hamilton in Monday
