Unequal
In the past year, the attitude of Indonesian social media users was among the worst in the world, as indicated in an annual survey conducted by Microsoft that was published last week.
In the past year, the attitude of Indonesian social media users was among the worst in the world, as indicated in an annual survey conducted by Microsoft that was published last week. It is concerning, but not surprising, given the number of police reports and legal cases in recent years.
Not all utterances that hurt others are intentional. Misunderstanding is common in communications, even between close friends or lovers. Not all misunderstandings in life require clarification, however.
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Not all defective statements on social media can be called hoaxes. There is indeed fake news, namely lies that are deliberately mass produced. However, there is also news that is not quite right: factual, but the data is incomplete or inaccurate. There is old news: true, but there is something newer and different. There is unbalanced news: real, but the information or coverage is only one-sided.
If you encounter such a case, the digital police patrolling social media should not immediately accuse it as being absurd.
Not all scorn or obscene words are hate speech. What I know is that the people in the grassroots level in East Java are accustomed to using words that seem dirty as an expression of intimacy with fellow friends. I am sure there are many people outside East Java do the same thing. If you encounter such a case, the digital police patrolling social media should not immediately accuse it as being absurd.
What we are facing is an epidemic of hate speech in a divided society. It is not a small number of individual cases. We are talking about large-scale social ills.
It is not only in our country. Different levels of politeness among countries or age groups only explain the different levels of disease severity. It is similar to the worldwide Covid-19 outbreak, but the severity is not the same.
Instead of reducing the problem, the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law is accused of causing new problems. This was admitted by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. The police are looking for other efforts that are more educational than directly arresting the suspect. This effort deserves to be appreciated even though it is not yet perfect and has been criticized by a number of parties.
Hate speech, bullying, hoaxes are only symptoms on the surface of a bigger and more complicated problem for legal institutions to handle alone. It is not about a lack of digital literacy. Various economic, political, educational and psychological factors are also involved. The problem does not originate from the presence of social media. It cannot be resolved by laws, apparatus and law enforcement, no matter how good they are.
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Hate speech is as contagious as Covid-19. It is different from a misunderstanding; the tendency to intentionally hurt others is common to those who have been hurt. This applies both social media or in persons.
Unlike Covid-19, social diseases cannot be treated with vaccines. Whatever the therapy, it is necessary to first understand the character of the social disease. Where does widespread and chronic hatred come from? How does it spread?
Long-term social hatred usually stems from social inequality in the broadest sense. It can take many forms, for example unequal access to proper housing, education, clean water, electricity and health care.
It could also be caused by unequal opportunities for work and career development, worship, a sense of security in socializing, or speaking out in public. These various inequalities are related to differences in gender, ethnicity, religion, age, political camp, or sexual orientation.
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Endemic hatred is a natural reaction to the impact of social inequality. Like coughing, sneezing, or nausea that indicates illness. Social media censorship and punishment for the perpetrators of hate speech are like silencing a coughing mouth, not treating diseases that cause coughs.
However, not in all societies, hate speech has become an epidemic that threatens public life.
Human history is a history of inequality. Naturally, hate speech is everywhere. However, not in all societies, hate speech has become an epidemic that threatens public life. Why?
Hate speech is like trash. It is a normal part of human life everywhere. It can be reduced, but cannot be completely avoided. Some of the waste can be processed into useful materials. It is the same with the hate speech that grows out of social inequality.
Garbage becomes a problem if it is not put in its place. When the waste collection system is disturbed, the trash will be scattered everywhere and become the fertile ground of various germs. Then, it causes complications of problems in various fields.
Public trust is needed for authoritative figures that are willing and able to overcome social epidemics. Like a patient\'s trust in a doctor who is trying to cure his illness. Indonesia needs such a figure. Who are they?
According to Microsoft\'s research, what Indonesian respondents expected the most in overcoming the outbreak of the hatred on social media was not the government (48 percent), not educational institutions (46 percent) let alone religious institutions (41 percent). What they expected most were commercial institutions, such as social media companies (59 percent) and news media (54 percent).
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Ideally, state institutions should be trusted by the public to deal with the outbreak of the hatred that threatens national ties. This is because the state has the greatest resources and scope of authority. However, this hope is difficult to materialize, if the level of public trust in the state apparatus is still low, even though some individual officials are highly praised.
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In any country, everyone can catch the plague to speak hatred and spread lies, either the government and its supporters or their political opponents. Public trust in the state will increase, if the law is enforced fairly and in a fair and balanced manner to the perpetrators of violations, regardless of their backgrounds.
Social media companies or news media can help combat hate speech and reduce symptoms on the surface. However, it is not their interest and duty to address the root of the problem, namely reducing social inequality as the main cause of various hate speeches. The government is the most appropriate and obliged to find the root of the problems.
ARIEL HERYANTO, Professor Emeritus at Monash University, Australia
(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).