Aotearoa on Twitter during COVID-19 lockdowns

Like the rest of the world, New Zealanders were subject to COVID-19 restrictions beginning in 2020. As is well known, the entire country entered a “short and sharp” lockdown when the pandemic emerged in March 2020, leading to the – temporary – elimination of the virus two months later. With elimination came the complete removal of restrictions, for some. Aucklanders were subject to several additional, prolonged regional lockdowns over the next 20 months. A great deal of evidence suggests online behaviour may differ between those in and outside lockdown, and so Aotearoa’s unique pandemic conditions provide a valuable opportunity for researchers to explore the online communication of people during lockdowns. This study undertakes that task, by topic modelling 16 million tweets from 100 thousand New Zealanders between March 2020 and 2022, spanning multiple regional lockdowns. Contrary to expectations, the findings ultimately show only marginal differences between the regional models. The model also exposes diminished interest in pandemic-issues, with Coronavirus cases and preventative measures receiving more online attention in 2020 than when the country actually experienced an eventual uncontrolled outbreak in 2022. Ultimately, these results offer deeper insights into the digital dynamics of lockdowns as a natural experiment in Aotearoa New Zealand.