'Bad language, threats': WA politicians have had enough of copping it online
Scrutiny and abuse are all in a day's work for politicians, but for Liberal, Labor and One Nation representatives in Western Australia, social media has proved to be a particularly nasty beast this week.
Western Australian politicians are struggling with the negative impact of social media on their personal and professional lives. Labor MP Simone McGurk and Liberal MP Andrew Hastie have both recently come under attack for comments made on their social media accounts. McGurk shared examples of "bad language, threats of violence, and questionable grammar" she receives on her feeds, while Hastie vowed to fight back against One Nation leader Pauline Hanson after she called him a "traitor."
Both politicians emphasized the need for others to call out abusive behavior online, rather than allowing it to be ignored. The situation has reached a point where even a protest from a disillusioned former candidate highlights the vitriolic nature of online discourse. The state government, AI-generated content, and bots also add to the complexity of the issue, making it an ever-evolving challenge for political figures in the digital age.
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