Jacinda Ardern became a lightning rod for threats during the pandemic years, but has it changed New Zealand’s relatively civil political landscape forever?
Collectively, they represented a swamp of online vitriol that was increasingly spilling over into real-world violence, in moments that seemed a bleak and unfamiliar change to New Zealand’s relatively temperate and accessible political landscape.
“What we have seen unfold is not something that is going to be rolled back as a consequence of Ardern’s departure,” says Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa, an online extremism researcher at Te Punaha Matatini. “There is something much more fundamental that has changed in the tone, timbre and trust of commentary and conversation.”
“We expected that Ardern would get more,” says Dr Chris Wilson, director of the research team. “The striking thing was how much more.” Overall, they concluded that Ardern faced online vitriol at a rate between 50 and 90 times higher than any other high-profile figure. Of the posts classified as negative, hateful, sexually explicit or toxic, a full 93% mentioned Ardern.
Even before the prime minister’s shock exit, however, New Zealand political operatives and campaigners had been increasingly discussing the shift in political discourse – and what it would mean for the coming election.
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