More Freedom of Expression, But Increasingly Irrational

Kompas/Eddy Hasbi

University students from Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi lay siege on the House of Representatives in this May 1998 file photograph. They demanded reforms and called for then-President Soeharto to step down.

Men’s behavior is very much shaped by their environment. This has contributed to how Indonesians express their thoughts and feelings. Before the Reform Era, people were forced to think twice about what they were going to say. Nowadays, however, people can say whatever they wish without thinking of how it may affect them, let alone others.

Reform has fostered a political environment that, in the spirit of equality, supports everyone in expressing their world views. People seem to think they have the complete freedom to criticize the government, spreading slander, insulting others and even inciting unrest as part of their constitutionally protected freedom of expression.

Such euphoria is supported by the increasing prevalence of the internet and social media, seen as mediums to express any thoughts. No wonder, then, that many things considered private, taboo, shameful or fake are spread widely for the general public’s consumption without any filtering.

“The freedom we have right now has made our expressions increasingly irrational,” Prof Dr Hamka Muhammadiyah University neuroscience center head Rizki Edmi Edison said in Jakarta on Wednesday (23/5/2018).

Humans fundamentally prefer to observe or spread ugliness. Such expressions are often responded to with disgust or fascination. When either of the two feelings arise, the limbic system in the human brain (that processes emotions) becomes more dominant and overwhelms the frontal lobe (that deals with rational thinking).

Such a system is conducive for the quick spreading of hoaxes, gossip and rumors. This is in line with the research findings of Soroush Vasughi et al. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that was published in the Science journal on March 9, 2018. The research shows that hoaxes are spread more by men than by bots. It is more difficult for verified news that counter the hoaxes to spread.

Self-control

The head of Sam Ratulangi University’s center of brain and social behavior studies, Taufiq Pasiak, said unlimited freedom had led to Indonesians losing sensitivity and self-control. “People feel that they have the right to express their feelings without care for the response that may arise or how it affects others,” he said.

This loss of self-control results in the vanishing of the brain’s executive function to control destructive impulse or emotional urges. Eventually, emotions erupt with no regard for place, time, other people or situation. Consequently, people become increasingly reactive, easy to provoke, blame others and judge without seeking clarification.

Taufiq said the problem was exacerbated by certain parties who abused people’s inability to manage their emotions to seek personal gain. The people are pushed to be explosive in expressing their anger through various narratives, including religious and race issues. If the anger turns into a collective expression, conflicts and turmoil are inevitable.

This huge risk of unchecked freedom of expression is why freedom must be limited. The goal is to reactivate people’s self-control as the wish to excessively express one’s heart’s desires is only human nature.

Taufiq said the government could attempt to engineer social conditions. This engineering may include controlling social media channels as among the mediums of people’s freedom of expression with minimum level of responsibility.

Such control must be done as the people have poor ability to rationalize various things in their lives. On the other hand, religious dogmatism that blunts logic is on the rise.

On the other hand, Rizki continued, unchecked freedom of expression has led to social discomfort. On the grounds of freedom of expression, those who spread hoaxes cannot be processed legally. This makes it more difficult for people to behave rationally, leading to complete neglect on how one’s actions may affect oneself and others.