Governments are increasingly using social media channels to disseminate information. Photo / Getty Images
Governments are increasingly using social media channels to disseminate information. Photo / Getty Images
COMMENT:
How fitting for the Government to launch a Covid-19 WhatsApp group the same day a local media company falls on its sword.
It's easy to understand why they've done it. Facebook-owned WhatsApp is used by hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders every day to stay in touch with familymembers, share memes and gossip with family groups.
The Government clearly sees value in seamlessly integrating its messaging into the conversation we're having on a daily basis. All of that makes sense at time when New Zealanders are desperately consuming any information they can on the spread of the virus around the country.
It exists in the context of the Government long pouring millions of dollars into channels that have steadily drained advertising dollars out of local media.
If the Government isn't even willing to make an ethical stand against the growing influence of these juggernauts, then what message does that send to New Zealand's other businesses? Maybe one of the Government's many influencers could offer us an answer.
The thing that makes social media so attractive to governments around the world is that they can say exactly what they want without it being edited.
When Winston Peters got annoyed with the media, what did he do?
He went straight to Twitter and posted a video with the caption: "No more fake news. If mainstream media won't do their job then we will go direct."
There's no need to balance views when you're going direct. Facebook, Twitter or Google aren't going to ask opposing voices what they think of the politician's take on a particular issue. The reckon will just be left to fester until the moment dies.
And even if they lie, there are few repercussions.
By his 1000th day in office last year, research showed that US President Donald Trump had already made more than 13,000 misleading claims. The media could, of course, pick these claims up and dissect them, but by that time the lie has already done its damage and the world has likely moved onto the next one.
No politicians in New Zealand are quite as flagrant as this, but we regularly celebrate the ability of public figures to use social media as the town square and share their views directly with the people.
But we rarely ask who stands to benefit from this. Is it really the public? Or is it, perhaps, the politicians who can use these channels to say whatever they like?
The issue with government-run WhatsApp groups isn't in what they say. The Covid-19 group, for instance, focuses largely on the latest numbers, updates and so forth.
But the problem lies in what's not said in groups like these. You're certainly not going to find any criticism, pointed questions or analysis on what the Government is doing on a WhatsApp channel it runs.
