In a March 27, 2014 interview with Michelle Grattan for The Conversation, Abbott stated: "The thing about social media is that it is anonymous, so it can be much more vitriolic and extreme than normal media and yet it is there for everyone to see.
It is kind of like electronic graffiti." [1]
Abbott reiterated these views on January 26, 2015, following backlash over his decision to award Prince Philip an Australian knighthood.
Abbott told media: "Social media is kind of like electronic graffiti and I think that in the media, you make a big mistake to pay too much attention to social media... it's anonymous.
It's often very abusive and, in a sense, it has about as much authority and credibility as graffiti that happens to be put forward by means of IT." [2]
The statements are documented and verified through multiple reputable sources including ABC News, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Conversation [2][3].
The January 2015 comments came during intense criticism of his decision to grant Prince Philip a knighthood on Australia Day—a decision that sparked widespread backlash not only on social media but also from within his own cabinet [2].
The "electronic graffiti" framing appeared to be a defensive response to criticism rather than a considered policy position on social media regulation.
The original source provided (theaimn.com - The Australian Independent Media Network) describes itself as "a platform for citizen journalists and bloggers to write and engage in an independent Australian media environment" [4].
While it provides a venue for alternative perspectives, it does not have the same editorial standards or fact-checking processes as established news organizations.
**Did Labor do something similar?**
Search conducted: "Rudd Gillard government social media policy trolling cyberbullying"
Finding: The Labor government under Rudd and Gillard also grappled with social media issues, though they did not make blanket statements about social media being "anonymous." In 2012, then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard faced significant social media trolling herself when attempting to discuss education policy on her Facebook page [5].
* * * *
The Labor government was also subject to vitriolic social media criticism, but they generally did not dismiss social media as lacking legitimacy or being inherently anonymous.
The key difference in approach: Labor figures tended to engage with social media criticism more directly rather than dismissing it as illegitimate due to anonymity.
While Abbott's characterization that social media is "anonymous" was technically inaccurate (many platforms required real identities, and even on Twitter many users were identifiable), his broader point about social media enabling more vitriolic and extreme expression had some validity.
Research and documented cases confirm that the relative distance and lack of immediate accountability in online environments can facilitate more extreme rhetoric than traditional media or face-to-face discourse [3].
The Conversation noted that "to dismiss an outpouring of scorn and criticism on social media as lacking credibility is to ignore public opinion that is unfiltered and at its most honest" [3].
The criticism of the Prince Philip knighthood came from across the political spectrum, including senior Coalition ministers, not just anonymous social media accounts [2].
This type of political defensiveness in response to criticism is not unique to the Coalition—politicians across parties have dismissed criticism they disagree with.
However, Abbott's specific framing of social media as inherently anonymous and therefore illegitimate was a distinctive rhetorical approach that subsequent governments (including later Coalition governments) moved away from.
**Key context:** This was not unique to Coalition governance in terms of facing social media criticism, but the specific rhetorical framing of dismissing social media as "anonymous graffiti" was characteristic of Abbott's approach during this period.