Reading @lightyouonfire's article in @guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/19/why-new-zealand-rejected-populist-ideas-other-nations-have-embraced?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other & following up tweets on #NZelections2020 https://twitter.com/sanjanah/status/1317984069309796352 did quick study of NZ Advance & Billy Te Kahika on #Facebook, #Twitter & #YouTube looking at pollination of right-wing content in #NewZealand.

Come at this from on-going doctoral research on #srilanka's media ecologies, where partisan private TV stations influence electoral outcomes for favoured candidates at Presidential https://twitter.com/sanjanah/status/1183958055383252993 & Parliamentary https://twitter.com/sanjanah/status/1283869599792918528 elections.

In #srilanka, right-wing frames, propaganda, disinformation & misinformation are often first produced for broadcast (by the most popular media platforms in cahoots with political entrepreneurs) & then find amplification on Facebook. https://twitter.com/sanjanah/status/1183958100073541632

In #NewZealand, situation is markedly different. First, the bad news. Though rightly ridiculed as " cynical, opportunistic narcissists" https://twitter.com/VodBox_IO/status/1317452653404680193 before Advance NZ's page was taken down by #Facebook https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/15-10-2020/advance-nz-facebook-page-shut-down-for-repeatedly-spreading-covid-19-misinformation/ content generated significant engagement.

Page was deleted mid-day, 15/10. Studied data for past 30 days around just videos. 24 videos, feat. 23hrs 39mins 39secs of content (approx. 1hr on avg. per video) were posted to page. Word cloud of descriptions reveals primary/preferred vector of content spread.

530,017 views in total generated, along w/ 8,040 comments, 3,895 shares & 6,970 likes. 3,097 recorded love reactions. Most viewed video posted on 10/10. Most commented on video about @NZStuff story https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2020/10/false-profit-down-the-rabbit-hole-of-billy-tk-jr/?cid=app-iPhone Won't share screenshot because it has party bank details.

Content engagement dynamics strengthen @dpfdpf's assertion in @guardian article, which underscores presentation to @NZOFLC recently on, inter alia, electoral integrity & social media. https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/blog/is-social-media-driving-instability/ However, toxicity spread enabled by #Facebook died once page deleted.

Study of 165 #AdvanceNZ tweets (itself an indicator there wasn't much traction on #Twitter) indicates very closed ecosystem. Furthermore, even cursory glance at content indicates significant rejection/ridicule of right-wing frames instead of an echo-chamber of fringe-lunacy.

Content tweeted indicates rebuttal of the @NZStuff story, which exposed Billy Te Kahika https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2020/10/false-profit-down-the-rabbit-hole-of-billy-tk-jr/?cid=app-iPhone #AdvanceNZ tagged tweets don't show wide dispersal or significant traction on platform by like-minded.

In other words, unlike #Facebook, #AdvanceNZ on #Twitter did not generate in the cross-pollination of content posted to or flagged on Advance NZ's page. This suggests that when Facebook chooses (rarely) to act, it does directly & dramatically reduce spread of mis/disinformation.

The conspiratorial 'Your Last Shred of Freedom' on #YouTube (won't link but still up) by New Zealand Public Party generates 15,292 views & 274 comments to date. When comments studied, John Ingram, Az Marsh & Stuart Benson (whoever they are) appear as primary authors.

You'd think Messrs. Ingram, Marsh & Benson are of an equal political disposition. In #srilanka, #YouTube channels of leading TV stations showcase hyper-partisan echo-chambers. But, it's not the case in NZ. It goes to show that even on conspiratorial content, pushback exists.

Ingram's instigator in chief, choosing to use the most expletives & invective. Grammatically challenged too, which is a more global right-wing phenomenon. Marsh is a believer too. Benson though is not, & valliantly engages the other two (of course, to no avail).

The YouTube video isn't shared significantly on Facebook or Twitter, which means it exists in a distinct discursive domain - i.e. a study of Facebook or Twitter won't reveal extent to which in NZ, YouTube contributes to political comms/discourse.

Also flags another issue, where although most attention is focussed on Facebook & Twitter, YouTube (even in #SriLanka) is a key vector in the seed & spread of misinformation https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52662348 But here again, the platform's algorithm in NZ is constrained by media culture.

Using the search/list#relatedToVideoId API endpoint https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/search/list#relatedToVideoId searching for Billy Te Kahika for example results in a video ecology on YouTube that does not show amplification by major news platforms. There's no Fox Channel promoting right-wing charlatans.

Similarly, when Jacinda Ardern is searched on YouTube, the sheer density of related videos shows (1) much greater popularity & (2) prevalence of NZ/international producers framing science & facts over conspiracy & nescience.

The keen eye will see @radionz in both graphs, which is a good thing in context. RNZ critically frames right-wing coverage, providing exposure sans amplification of conspiracy theories. RNZ's capture of Ardern isn't partisan either &, for me, value of public service media model.

For students of (social) media ecologies, extremely high resolution PDFs & images/data visualisations used in tweets above can be accessed at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wiU8ZqpAx6fdIK6gPYxAwsLfzRGFIKqK?usp=sharing

NZ provides a fascinating foil to divisive, hyper-partisan, propagandist traditional media ecologies studied in #srilanka, amplified by likes of #Facebook. Right-wing content is present & generates not insignificant engagement, but political/media culture cogent antidotes.

Would strongly argue for vigilance over complacency, and look forward to @NZOFLC's policies in the future addressing this, for now, constrained economy & contained ecology of really dangerous conspiracy theories. @David_Cormack is right. I sincerely hope it stays this way.

Dear @threadreaderapp, unroll please.