Rugby, Twitter, and a 'cyberspace of belonging' for Pacific identities

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-10-27 03:00

New Zealand; Pacific

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Tonga and Australia’s first-ever rugby league test match, which took place in Auckland in 2018, was not only a massive sporting event but also a significant moment of Pacific visibility. Given that the event brought together different groups (sports fans, media, diasporic Pacific communities, and others), a Pacific media researcher analysed more than 9000 Tweets relating to the event over a two week period to understand how Pacific identities were created and celebrated on Twitter in real time. Tweets weren’t just focused on the game or the players. In fact, the most shared ones were about the Tongan and other Pacific communities who turned out (both online and offline) to show support for and pride in Mate Ma’a Tonga and Pacific success.