Twitter Is More Than Police: Digital Activism Rises, Apparatus Credibility Declines

Illustration (Source: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Recently, digital activism on social media Twitter has succeeded in encouraging several cases that had been hidden because they escaped the public's attention. Until the term "viral offense" appears. A term to describe the response of the authorities who have to wait for a new viral case to be prosecuted. On the one hand digital activism is increasing, but on the other hand the credibility of the police seems to be declining.

Not long ago, the story of a Twitter netizen named the @arlinath account who claimed to have lost his younger brother for more than five years went viral. He and his family have tried to report to the police and look for his sister everywhere, but to no avail. His family also had time to give up because his younger brother's condition was disabled.

However, after venting on Twitter on Tuesday, October 12, his sister, who had been missing for more than five years, was finally found. "Actually we have given up because there are no clues at all. He is speechless. His name is Ezekiel, usually called Eskil. Please anyone who has seen him or knows his whereabouts can DM me. Thank you very much beforehand," wrote the account @arlinath.

The 13-year-old boy was finally discovered by a netizen named @Puji6781478. Warganet also included the latest photo of Ezekiel. After being confirmed, the photo turned out to be indeed the sister he had been looking for all this time.

Yesterday, @arlinath posted that he had managed to find his sister. "Thx God, I found it." A touching story indeed.

The viral tweet was immediately flooded with positive comments. "The power of social media is really cool. When the police gave up and the case was closed, they even met a day later on Twitter," commented one netizen.

Lately, it seems that social media, especially Twitter, has become an alternative place for netizens who are having problems. Not a few netizens find it more helpful to share their problems on social media than to the authorities. Even recently, the hashtag #PercumaLaporPolisi was buzzing in the timeline.

Goosebumps gasi :" pic.twitter.com/BtyzvyAgCu

— (@DiajengLrst) October 14, 2021

It's free to report to the police

The hashtag #PercumaLaporPolisi emerged, sparking skepticism about the professionalism of the police, during the uproar of Project Multatuli's coverage of the alleged rape of three children in East Luwu, South Sulawesi. Citing the article entitled Three of My Children Rape, I Reported to the Police. Police Stop Investigation Written by Eko Rusdianto, he was told how this case developed.

A man, it is said that the local state civil apparatus (ASN) is reported to be his ex-wife. The man is said to have raped his three biological children, all of whom were under ten at the time of the incident.

This case was first reported on October 9, 2019 to the East Luwu Police Headquarters. The investigation into the alleged child rape case has been going on for two months at the East Luwu Police Headquarters. But then investigators stopped because there was no evidence of an immoral crime.

However, after this case went viral and was republished in several national media, the case was finally re-opened. On October 14, the police said they had reopened the investigation into the alleged rape of three minors by the biological father.

"Investigators have made a police report model A dated October 12, 2021, regarding the alleged molestation of minors. It was written by the perpetrator in the investigation process," said Head of the Public Relations Division of the National Police Public Relations Division Kombes Pol Ahmad Ramadhan at the Bareskrim Police Headquarters.

"Yes (continued), if a police report is made, it means the police are serious in handling this case," he said. More or less a wave of netizen support might make the police return to highlight this case. And now the investigation is still ongoing.

Head of Public Relations of Polda Metro Jaya Kombes Yusri Yunus (Photo: Rizki/VOI)

Prior to the alleged rape of a child in East Luwu, a similar phenomenon also occurred in the case of alleged bullying by an employee of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI). The case that has occurred since almost a decade ago is only being investigated now.

Then recently, public activism also "influenced" the legal process of a woman who sells vegetables in Deli Serdang, named Litiwari Iman Gea. After being beaten up by someone suspected of being a thug a month ago, he is now in danger of being imprisoned. The reason is that the perpetrator reported Gea back to the police.

Gea then shared her condition on Facebook and it went viral. The public response to this case made the "viral offense" work. This term comes from Twitter to describe the response of officials who have to wait for a new viral case to act. Two days after Gea confided, the Head of Public Relations of the North Sumatra Police, Kombes Hadi Wahyudi, announced that his case would be referred to a higher level police force.

Digital activism

Sociologist from UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Tantan Hermansyah agrees that the current digital space has a major influence on human civilization today. And digital activism is actually not a completely new phenomenon.

"Recently, digital activism is actually not a new phenomenon. Because it appears in line with the cultural reality which is now often referred to as the era of the industrial revolution 4.0. In this era, it is imperative that digital space is almost duplicated or used by society like real space," he explained. Challenge to VOI.

The vitality of the digital space, said Tantan, can be seen when such as the emergence of applicable regulations from large institutions such as the state and large organizations. "In the digital space, we see that there are regulations such as the emergence of the ITE Law and even the MUI fatwa, Muhammadiyah fatwa.

Illustration (Source: Unsplash)

The digital space, said Tantan, is currently not only used as a platform for branding. More than that, digital space can be used to exert influence and earn money.

"On the other hand, the digital space is now used by many people, not only for branding. It's further than that. For example, to influence, endorse, influence, and even get money," said Tantan.

One of the influences that did not escape this digital activism was that it succeeded in creating what Twitter netizens called "viral offenses." A term to refer to a case that has just been investigated after it has gone viral.

"This is the problem, maybe I don't know whether there should be a special cyber police that monitors traffic (social media) or for example whether phenomenal social things must go viral first before being responded to by law enforcement. I don't think that's true either. Yes, events that are related to the lives of many people in the real world, don't have to go viral before being responded to," said Tantan.

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