As we’ve all seen, social media allows misinformation and disinformation to proliferate like crazy and it can be hard to know what’s true with information coming from a range of online sources that are not necessarily benign. There’s also the echo chamber effect on social media where we only see opinions from people who think like us. This makes it easy to feel like our point of view is the most reasonable one and that everyone agrees with us.
As a result, people can be less tolerant when they come across someone with a different or opposite view. Some enjoy the point-scoring aspect of delivering a public take-down on social media – so often people say things to others online that they would never say in person.
I’d urge people to think twice about what they write on social media. Apart from the toll these kinds of attacks take on a personal level, they can have alarming effects with online conflict spilling over into the real world – this was seen in northern England recently when violent anti-refugee protests kicked off after misinformation spread about the identity of the suspect for a stabbing attack. Emotions ride high on social media and it pays to take a moment to consider that we might not have all the facts before responding.
Having challenging conversations
It’s a privilege to serve the community in the role of mayor and have conversations with people who hold a broad range of perspectives throughout the week. My policy is to be open to having my views challenged as long as it’s done in a respectful way.
In my opinion, having difficult conversations is probably an area where we can develop as a society; too often people find it easier to avoid topics with those who have a different view but it would serve us well to learn how to disagree and debate in a constructive way.
In saying this, there should of course be no room for prejudice and comments that cause harm to groups or individuals. When you let your fingers do the talking on social media, consider the real person behind the comment and put forward a debate that respects their humanity and right to exist as themselves. Together we can resist the negativity of social media and build up the amazing community we have here in Whanganui.
The portfolio system
You may have read about a newly introduced portfolio system intended to allow us to get even closer to our community in the areas that are of interest to all of us. We have a busy council organisation and busy councillors, so this is an opportunity for us to get up close and listen to what is happening on the ground. I’d encourage you to check out which councillors have been assigned as advocates for each portfolio – you can find the 17 portfolio areas and contact details for councillors on the Whanganui District Council website.
Portfolios include Housing and Homelessness; Older Persons; Youth; Accessibility and Disability; Community Cohesion; Climate and Sustainability; Waste; Parks, Sport and Recreation; Heritage Matters; Arts and Creative Activation; Business Growth and Relationships; International Relations; Future Industries, Whanganui Brand and Story; Infrastructure and Transport; Rural Affairs; Town Centre Regeneration.
Ngā mihi nui,
Andrew Tripe
