Personal Attacks on Social Media Deemed Not Representative of Public Views

Personal attacks on social media targeting government leaders are undermining healthy democratic discourse, according to political observer Ayip Tayana. He argues that such content, often lacking substantive criticism, does not represent the quality of democracy a nation should strive for.

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This nation must be able to distinguish between criticism and insult. The government must be criticized, but calling it NPD is not criticism in my opinion.

Tayana, Executive Director of the National Data Index, stated that labeling a head of government with terms like Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is not substantive criticism. "This nation must be able to distinguish between criticism and insult. The government must be criticized, but calling it NPD is not criticism in my opinion," he said. He believes personal attacks that degrade dignity are unjustifiable, even in the name of free speech, as they lack argumentation and accountability, serving only to incite public anger.

The expert noted that negative and emotional content often garners high engagement on social media, potentially misleading people into believing these online conversations represent the majority view. "In Indonesia, content that is negative or emotional and attacks certain political groups tends to get high engagement. We must not let such things persist because democracy requires freedom of speech, but also maturity and responsibility," he stated.

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In Indonesia, content that is negative or emotional and attacks certain political groups tends to get high engagement. We must not let such things persist because democracy requires freedom of speech, but also maturity and responsibility.

Tayana emphasized that high levels of negative online conversation do not automatically reflect overall public sentiment. He cited political legitimacy and survey results, such as the government's election win with 58 percent of the vote and a Poltracking Indonesia survey showing 74.2 percent of respondents trust the government and 72.2 percent are satisfied with its performance. "These survey results indicate that public support and trust in the government remain at a majority level," he added.

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These survey results indicate that public support and trust in the government remain at a majority level.

Despite high satisfaction rates, Tayana cautioned that this does not mean all government policies are accepted without criticism. Dissatisfaction in specific sectors still requires evaluation. "High satisfaction figures are appreciated, but findings of dissatisfaction in certain sectors must also be used for government evaluation," he concluded.

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High satisfaction figures are appreciated, but findings of dissatisfaction in certain sectors must also be used for government evaluation.