Abstract
Tagging In is a research project dedicated to valuing and equipping social media admins and moderators, as important community leaders. The project has created a 27-page, full-colour, downloadable resource booklet, with information and advice gathered from 14+ social media admins in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This is a resource for social media admins and moderators – that is, anyone involved in running online groups, pages, or communities. Most people do this kind of work as a volunteer. There is no research on how many people, or how many thousands of hours, go into this work, nationally or worldwide. People who admin online groups often develop a variety of amazing skills. They also deal with big stuff such as hate speech, dangerous speech, misinformation, interpersonal conflict, mental health crises, and more…. typically without any training, support, or resources. Susan Wardell, Melanie Beres, Fairleigh Evelyn Gilmour, and Cassie Withey-Rila (from the University of Otago) sought funding from InternetNZ, to talk to social media admins from Aotearoa New Zealand about their experiences. After a series of interviews, and an online hui, some of what was learned was brought together into this resource.