Compassion and Virtue : social media-enabled bartering in Fiji during COVID-19

Like many small island nations Fiji has experienced significant economic downturn due to the global pandemic. Although Fiji has been spared the worst biomedical effects of the pandemic [ii] on account of its relative isolation, mandated border closures and quarantine protocols, its economic effects were evident at national and household levels. Previously tourism accounted for approximately 40 per cent of Fiji's gross domestic product, employing around 150,000 people. Border closures and the halt on international tourism adversely affected one-third of the labour force in the sector, with ripple effects throughout the country (Darmadi Gemala 2020; Government of Fiji 2020). The fragile economic landscape further resulted in cash scarcity. To get by, many Fijians began bartering goods and services in exchange for food and basic household items. One response to the pandemic was the establishment of a Facebook page called "Barter for Better Fiji" (BFBF) in April 2020. This essay explores the emergence of the BFBF and how this online group made 'bartering' and other practices of exchange central to surviving Covid-19. We analyse the posts and discussions of BFBF participants in 2020. We are interested in the way moderators and participants position this contemporary way of conducting bartering as an alternative to market trade that has deep cultural roots in Fiji. Such forms of exchange have serious implications for the study of digital practices and relational systems of exchange in Fiji and beyond.