This isn't a new area of interest for Seeby. He's been posting conspiratorial content on Twitter for a few years. I haven't gone all the way back, but I believe it probably started with covid related things. — at some point I unfollowed him for that reason. He seems pretty solidly against the Covid-vaccine now.
I suspect his online diet now consists of a lot of conspiracy content (which he might have followed initially for Covid "truth") — in recent X posts and reposts, he's shared Andrew Wakefield anti-Covid-vaccine video content, pro-Ivermectin stuff, Liz Gunn's thoughts about Charles Schwab and the WEF, some pretty kooky JFK conspiracy theories, some alternative history conspiracy stuff (about Egyptian technology).
With all that conspiracy content coming at him, there will be lots of things that scratch an itch or otherwise stick in his thinking about things.
I think there is a tendency for smart people — and Seeby is a smart person — to sort of self-confirm the information they want to believe. It goes something like:
"This information is interesting and I find it compelling, and I am very smart, so if I am smart and find it compelling then it must be real" — probably somewhat related to Dunning-Kruger but a little different.
I mean, he probably is sharing things because he finds them interesting as he claims, but it's not really fair to claim that sharing them doesn't imply some sort of position on them. People seldom share things they don't agree with and not include some commentary.
I also think being smart in one area doesn't necessarily preclude you from being deeply ignorant in others.
Add to that making a lot of money at a young age and no longer having to answer to anyone, and I can imagine the chances for growth and introspection drop precipitously.
Yep. I have a work mate who is very smart and clever at fixing things but also states that Trump is economically smart and its a good thing he provokes discourse. I just focus on getting him to fix things and avoid politics.
It's called "Just Asking Questions" (or JAQing off in internet parlance). Where you try and introduce conspiracy theory by framing it as a question. He's literally a JAQoff.
It's a shame, because their are some dominant media narratives that absolutely SHOULD be questioned (see: the genocide in Gaza). A healthy society should always treat the powerful with skepticism, but bozos like this flood the zone with idiotic conspiracy theories that just so happen to perfectly align with their own prejudices.
It’s convenient for him to say that it’s just “look at this thing I found.” If that is the case, which I find doubtful, then be blatant about it and provide some research to counter the false narrative.
I guess that’s too much to ask.
It’s a dangerous attitude to have. He’s just feeding the dark side of conspiracy frenzy.
But it’s 2025, it’s sad that this just feels on track for the current vibe of the year.
Would NZME/Stuff actually be expected to say anything about this? I thought they were both pretty much regarded as bottom feeders of NZ Media and more far right than they’ll ever admit.
This view hasn’t personally been helped by the fact that I contacted both to try and have a story done about our Accessibility programme for the Wellington Pride Parade. I was told by NZME it was “not the type of content they were looking for”. He wouldn’t elaborate, but the fact that I was an Autistic person running a pilot Accessibility programme designed by and for disabled people for a Pride Parade seemed to work against me…
Your programme sounds really interesting. Did it go well? And is there anywhere I could learn about it? It's disappointing they didn't want to cover it as local news or something. It would be good for people to know about and it's the sort of thing we need more of.
I don't have much experience with the NZ media, but earlier this year TVNZ and The Post covered a qualitative research project I worked on for Westpac about inclusion and access to banking for disabled people. Kinda makes you wonder how they decide what to cover.
It went super well! Usually accessibility extends to wheelchair access and sign language only, both important! But I wanted to make sure all accessibility needs were considered, so I consulted with the disability community and together we designed the programme. It included multiple types of viewing spaces, communication needs, information access and sensory spaces. A lot of people said it was their first ever parade, or event like that, because they’re not usually planned/designed for disabled people with different access needs. It was the first time the disability community had actually been involved in designing and developing the accessibility plan for an event like this. I hope more will follow!
The site experience reminds me a little of when I visited Tate Modern in London. The accessibility section of the site was so clear and they had this visual story: https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern/visual-story
I don't usually struggle too badly going to galleries, but the info reduced cognitive load I never even noticed I was stressing over. I bet your mahi with all the different considerations and clear comms helped a TON of people.
Ah that is so good! I wish more places/events/locations would have accessibility information like this. As an Autistic person I like to know what to expect, it reduces anxiety and yes, cognitive load!
A blind woman helped with the formatting of the webpage to make sure it was screen reader compatible and then the accessibility information text for the day was translated with Easy Read.
There’s a lot more that could have been done, we have no accessibility budget and are all volunteers. So I think we did ok :) was great to hear from people who felt comfortable to come, and bring their disabled kids etc. We had a youth group travel 3 hours to attend because they felt safe and included and able to be there. It was so good!
We definitely got some hate for “targeting vulnerable people” ie including disabled people in a Pride Parade, as if we were pushing an evil agenda on them…
Hence the reticence to cover the piece in media maybe?
Kia ora Sarah, not a professsional publicist at all, but have done a fair amount of publicity for various projects and programmes over the years! Firstly I would say, don't take it personally that they didn't pick up the story - our newsrooms are increasingly depleted, and sometimes there just isn't capacity to run a story, or it doesn't fit that day's plans, or just so happens that last week there was a story on something similar. I think even getting a reply back at all is a win sometimes! Secondly, as an amatuer publicist, I'm happy to share some of the ways I've managed to hook interest in a story if you're doing it again next year - let me know and I'll share my contact with you.
It was more super frustrating as I knew the wider the reach the more people we could positively impact, both by consulting them around what they needed and letting disabled people know they were able to attend safely and be fully included (which rarely happens). I’ve been in disability services and mental health sector the past two decades and engaged with the media a lot. Have never had this level of “radio silence” so I guess I made assumptions that the rainbow/disability intersection was possibly an issue but yeah, could have been many factors.
Such a shame, as this was pretty much a world first (from what I could tell online).
No. NewstalkZB said they might be interested but then stopped communicating, after I told them I was Autistic but that could have been coincidental. The only media we got was Wellington Access Radio No Labels show, also by and for disabled people. It’s a shame as it wasn’t just trying to promote the Parade and put accessibility it was also while I was wanting input from people around what accessibility considerations they needed, I wanted to make sure we reached as many people as possible. Next year I’ll try again…
The stock response when these guys are questioned is ‘I was hacked’, ‘ can’t you take a joke’, ‘I’m just sharing stuff I found online’ or they double down on their hate/racism/misogyny. They never take real accountability and they never try and do something positive with their opinions or their money.
Oh FFS! What is it with such people that they cannot see the harm they do simply by saying "Look what I found" How do they not get it that by reposting such garbage they are contributing to the spread of dis- and misinformation? There is a serious lack of ethics in their actions and attitudes. Wealth gives no one a right to have their views considered more worthy than anyone else's. And to put a 'spiritual' reference in - I have been thinking a lot about the parable my man JC told, about a rich man who gathered his harvest in, then spent money building bigger and better storage units to keep it in, so he can relax and live a life of ease and pleasure - Luke 12:16-21. AS JC tells it God intervenes, telling him that his life will be demanded that very night, rendering his stored wealth useless and his self-serving plans futile. The actual phrase I love - 'You fool!' I keep thinking about this in relation to certain world leaders and oligarchs- fools, death comes to us all. Their wealth won't save them. Ok rant ended - sorry folks. Have a great weekend (especially my fellow Kiwis looking to remember ANZAC day and a 3 day weekend)
That "doing my own research" comment always gets me fired up. Nobody ever realizes they're just knocking about in their own echo chamber, and most people have no idea how to sort through the different types of information they come across. And some don't seem to understand the differences between primary, secondary, tertiary resources, which is also concerning.
But anyway, the relevant part: In the comments, the reporter got into a discussion with a guy who does something similar on a ranch he owns, and the reporter then said they'd love to hear more about it, and could the guy contact him. And then another commenter piped up and took the reporter to task because they should be doing their own research online instead of asking people about the subject. You heard it here: "doing your own research" online is better than getting information from primary sources.
More on topic, you can't say "look at this thing I found" without taking a stance, when that thing is Holocaust denialism. "Hey look at this thing I found" is for when you find something cool you know people will like. Like a new bakery opens up and they have incredibly nice custard squares, or you go hiking in the Waitākeres and find a cool stick that makes you feel like Gandalf. (it was just lying there on the path, you definitely didn't pull it off a tree.)
I thought… getting info from primary sources IS doing your own research?! That’s the very definition of ‘doing your own research’. Not just reading some crap written by some morons online.
"doing my own research" really gets my goat up too. I deleted a friend during the early covid days who began posting all sorts of covid crazy stuff and making out they were trying to help us... When I asked for links and source of information in a non combative manner, they simply said "do your own research". So much for helping.
This is so disturbing. How anyone can share this sort of content is absolutely beyond my wildest nightmare. Really goes to show the danger of how these ideas can be spread online. He needs to put down his phone and pick up a history book.
In case there was any doubt, platforming this content makes you culpable. Sorry to the Seeby Woodhouse and Joe Rogans of the world. Anything you can easily dispel with a single search, open a history book, or watch the countless videos available in minutes, gives you 100% of the blame for posting it. Nice try Nazi!
It takes a certain kind of *expletive* to share that kind of content..especially under the guise of "look at this interesting thing I've found/JuSt AsKiNg QuEsTiOnS". JFC the last 5 years have been insane. Take me back to 2018.
Some people really shouldn't have the right to free speech, or posting to social media rights without a responsible third party to check if you're drunk/high/in a mentally unstable frame of mind/just being white supremist before clicking the share button to that large a following.
Makes me think of a conversation i had with a ‘friend’ around a year ago where they didn’t seem to understand that this kind of stuff affects real people. They were so completely in their bubble that everything was kind of like a game for them, or theoretical or something. Just a complete lack of empathy or appreciation that other people are real… i dunno is that sociopathy?
TBh though it feels to me like most people are like that.
"Hey look at this thing I found" when applied to beach treasures and neat rocks 👍
"Hey look at this thing I found" when applied to white supremacist propaganda 👎
👍💯
This isn't a new area of interest for Seeby. He's been posting conspiratorial content on Twitter for a few years. I haven't gone all the way back, but I believe it probably started with covid related things. — at some point I unfollowed him for that reason. He seems pretty solidly against the Covid-vaccine now.
I suspect his online diet now consists of a lot of conspiracy content (which he might have followed initially for Covid "truth") — in recent X posts and reposts, he's shared Andrew Wakefield anti-Covid-vaccine video content, pro-Ivermectin stuff, Liz Gunn's thoughts about Charles Schwab and the WEF, some pretty kooky JFK conspiracy theories, some alternative history conspiracy stuff (about Egyptian technology).
With all that conspiracy content coming at him, there will be lots of things that scratch an itch or otherwise stick in his thinking about things.
I think there is a tendency for smart people — and Seeby is a smart person — to sort of self-confirm the information they want to believe. It goes something like:
"This information is interesting and I find it compelling, and I am very smart, so if I am smart and find it compelling then it must be real" — probably somewhat related to Dunning-Kruger but a little different.
I mean, he probably is sharing things because he finds them interesting as he claims, but it's not really fair to claim that sharing them doesn't imply some sort of position on them. People seldom share things they don't agree with and not include some commentary.
Thanks for this added context.
It's just a circle jerk of bad information.
He told me he read Webworm - so I sent him the explainer on Grooming Gangs (which he had not read). He responded:
"Actually I hadn’t seen your article, and I’m probably late to the grooming gangs story, having picked up on it from Nick Mowbray"
🤦♀️
I also think being smart in one area doesn't necessarily preclude you from being deeply ignorant in others.
Add to that making a lot of money at a young age and no longer having to answer to anyone, and I can imagine the chances for growth and introspection drop precipitously.
Yep. I have a work mate who is very smart and clever at fixing things but also states that Trump is economically smart and its a good thing he provokes discourse. I just focus on getting him to fix things and avoid politics.
Seeby has always been well known in the NZ tech space for being a deeply weird dude.
It's called "Just Asking Questions" (or JAQing off in internet parlance). Where you try and introduce conspiracy theory by framing it as a question. He's literally a JAQoff.
It's a shame, because their are some dominant media narratives that absolutely SHOULD be questioned (see: the genocide in Gaza). A healthy society should always treat the powerful with skepticism, but bozos like this flood the zone with idiotic conspiracy theories that just so happen to perfectly align with their own prejudices.
Well said, Joe and JAQing off, indeed it looks like Seeby is (says me via my - currently - Voyager subscribed fibre connection!)
It’s convenient for him to say that it’s just “look at this thing I found.” If that is the case, which I find doubtful, then be blatant about it and provide some research to counter the false narrative.
I guess that’s too much to ask.
It’s a dangerous attitude to have. He’s just feeding the dark side of conspiracy frenzy.
But it’s 2025, it’s sad that this just feels on track for the current vibe of the year.
Would NZME/Stuff actually be expected to say anything about this? I thought they were both pretty much regarded as bottom feeders of NZ Media and more far right than they’ll ever admit.
This view hasn’t personally been helped by the fact that I contacted both to try and have a story done about our Accessibility programme for the Wellington Pride Parade. I was told by NZME it was “not the type of content they were looking for”. He wouldn’t elaborate, but the fact that I was an Autistic person running a pilot Accessibility programme designed by and for disabled people for a Pride Parade seemed to work against me…
Your programme sounds really interesting. Did it go well? And is there anywhere I could learn about it? It's disappointing they didn't want to cover it as local news or something. It would be good for people to know about and it's the sort of thing we need more of.
I don't have much experience with the NZ media, but earlier this year TVNZ and The Post covered a qualitative research project I worked on for Westpac about inclusion and access to banking for disabled people. Kinda makes you wonder how they decide what to cover.
It went super well! Usually accessibility extends to wheelchair access and sign language only, both important! But I wanted to make sure all accessibility needs were considered, so I consulted with the disability community and together we designed the programme. It included multiple types of viewing spaces, communication needs, information access and sensory spaces. A lot of people said it was their first ever parade, or event like that, because they’re not usually planned/designed for disabled people with different access needs. It was the first time the disability community had actually been involved in designing and developing the accessibility plan for an event like this. I hope more will follow!
There’s a bit more info here:
https://www.wellingtonprideparade.co.nz/accessibility
Oh it's so good. Well done.
The site experience reminds me a little of when I visited Tate Modern in London. The accessibility section of the site was so clear and they had this visual story: https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern/visual-story
I don't usually struggle too badly going to galleries, but the info reduced cognitive load I never even noticed I was stressing over. I bet your mahi with all the different considerations and clear comms helped a TON of people.
Ah that is so good! I wish more places/events/locations would have accessibility information like this. As an Autistic person I like to know what to expect, it reduces anxiety and yes, cognitive load!
A blind woman helped with the formatting of the webpage to make sure it was screen reader compatible and then the accessibility information text for the day was translated with Easy Read.
There’s a lot more that could have been done, we have no accessibility budget and are all volunteers. So I think we did ok :) was great to hear from people who felt comfortable to come, and bring their disabled kids etc. We had a youth group travel 3 hours to attend because they felt safe and included and able to be there. It was so good!
We definitely got some hate for “targeting vulnerable people” ie including disabled people in a Pride Parade, as if we were pushing an evil agenda on them…
Hence the reticence to cover the piece in media maybe?
Kia ora Sarah, not a professsional publicist at all, but have done a fair amount of publicity for various projects and programmes over the years! Firstly I would say, don't take it personally that they didn't pick up the story - our newsrooms are increasingly depleted, and sometimes there just isn't capacity to run a story, or it doesn't fit that day's plans, or just so happens that last week there was a story on something similar. I think even getting a reply back at all is a win sometimes! Secondly, as an amatuer publicist, I'm happy to share some of the ways I've managed to hook interest in a story if you're doing it again next year - let me know and I'll share my contact with you.
It was more super frustrating as I knew the wider the reach the more people we could positively impact, both by consulting them around what they needed and letting disabled people know they were able to attend safely and be fully included (which rarely happens). I’ve been in disability services and mental health sector the past two decades and engaged with the media a lot. Have never had this level of “radio silence” so I guess I made assumptions that the rainbow/disability intersection was possibly an issue but yeah, could have been many factors.
Such a shame, as this was pretty much a world first (from what I could tell online).
Would love any help and contacts, thanks!
Sarah that's stink! Did RNZ run it?
No. NewstalkZB said they might be interested but then stopped communicating, after I told them I was Autistic but that could have been coincidental. The only media we got was Wellington Access Radio No Labels show, also by and for disabled people. It’s a shame as it wasn’t just trying to promote the Parade and put accessibility it was also while I was wanting input from people around what accessibility considerations they needed, I wanted to make sure we reached as many people as possible. Next year I’ll try again…
Pleased to hear you will try again. Sounds like a great idea.
The stock response when these guys are questioned is ‘I was hacked’, ‘ can’t you take a joke’, ‘I’m just sharing stuff I found online’ or they double down on their hate/racism/misogyny. They never take real accountability and they never try and do something positive with their opinions or their money.
Oh FFS! What is it with such people that they cannot see the harm they do simply by saying "Look what I found" How do they not get it that by reposting such garbage they are contributing to the spread of dis- and misinformation? There is a serious lack of ethics in their actions and attitudes. Wealth gives no one a right to have their views considered more worthy than anyone else's. And to put a 'spiritual' reference in - I have been thinking a lot about the parable my man JC told, about a rich man who gathered his harvest in, then spent money building bigger and better storage units to keep it in, so he can relax and live a life of ease and pleasure - Luke 12:16-21. AS JC tells it God intervenes, telling him that his life will be demanded that very night, rendering his stored wealth useless and his self-serving plans futile. The actual phrase I love - 'You fool!' I keep thinking about this in relation to certain world leaders and oligarchs- fools, death comes to us all. Their wealth won't save them. Ok rant ended - sorry folks. Have a great weekend (especially my fellow Kiwis looking to remember ANZAC day and a 3 day weekend)
That "doing my own research" comment always gets me fired up. Nobody ever realizes they're just knocking about in their own echo chamber, and most people have no idea how to sort through the different types of information they come across. And some don't seem to understand the differences between primary, secondary, tertiary resources, which is also concerning.
I read a NYT piece earlier today about homeless people in a Colorado ski resort town who can't afford local rent and are sleeping in their cars in car parks that are designated for that purpose, and are specifically for people who live and work locally. (gift link for anyone interested in reading that story: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/realestate/colorado-homeless-parking-lot-affordable-housing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CE8.TAy2.SYWWlHEb0BN2&smid=url-share)
But anyway, the relevant part: In the comments, the reporter got into a discussion with a guy who does something similar on a ranch he owns, and the reporter then said they'd love to hear more about it, and could the guy contact him. And then another commenter piped up and took the reporter to task because they should be doing their own research online instead of asking people about the subject. You heard it here: "doing your own research" online is better than getting information from primary sources.
More on topic, you can't say "look at this thing I found" without taking a stance, when that thing is Holocaust denialism. "Hey look at this thing I found" is for when you find something cool you know people will like. Like a new bakery opens up and they have incredibly nice custard squares, or you go hiking in the Waitākeres and find a cool stick that makes you feel like Gandalf. (it was just lying there on the path, you definitely didn't pull it off a tree.)
I thought… getting info from primary sources IS doing your own research?! That’s the very definition of ‘doing your own research’. Not just reading some crap written by some morons online.
"doing my own research" really gets my goat up too. I deleted a friend during the early covid days who began posting all sorts of covid crazy stuff and making out they were trying to help us... When I asked for links and source of information in a non combative manner, they simply said "do your own research". So much for helping.
Yeah, this guy is a giant, & dangerous, douche. The Donald would love him.
This is so disturbing. How anyone can share this sort of content is absolutely beyond my wildest nightmare. Really goes to show the danger of how these ideas can be spread online. He needs to put down his phone and pick up a history book.
In case there was any doubt, platforming this content makes you culpable. Sorry to the Seeby Woodhouse and Joe Rogans of the world. Anything you can easily dispel with a single search, open a history book, or watch the countless videos available in minutes, gives you 100% of the blame for posting it. Nice try Nazi!
Oh, look, another money addled mid wyt man showing his true nature. Glad he made his deep, deep dumbness so fucking obvious.
I know right. They certainly don't get rich because they're smart.
It takes a certain kind of *expletive* to share that kind of content..especially under the guise of "look at this interesting thing I've found/JuSt AsKiNg QuEsTiOnS". JFC the last 5 years have been insane. Take me back to 2018.
He is probably influenced by Musk. That was his MO until the mask came off completely.
Some people really shouldn't have the right to free speech, or posting to social media rights without a responsible third party to check if you're drunk/high/in a mentally unstable frame of mind/just being white supremist before clicking the share button to that large a following.
Makes me think of a conversation i had with a ‘friend’ around a year ago where they didn’t seem to understand that this kind of stuff affects real people. They were so completely in their bubble that everything was kind of like a game for them, or theoretical or something. Just a complete lack of empathy or appreciation that other people are real… i dunno is that sociopathy?
TBh though it feels to me like most people are like that.
And logarithms are what logarithms are. So "research" might just be following what the logarithms present.
That seems dangerous to me.
So posting this sort of thing without any alternative viewpoint is lazy, at best; designed, at worst.