Fufufafa Scandal: Reflection of Poor Ethics and Digital Literacy of Account Owners

Photo (Andry Winarko VOI)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian public was shocked by the emergence of the Fufufafa account. Old posts from this account, which is active on the Kaskus social media platform, contain insults and slurs against the elected President, Prabowo Subianto. Not only that, the account is also considered to have harassed female artists, such as Syahrini.

So, who owns the Fufufafa account? Several parties have begun to find out, including Anonymous Indonesia. Through the account on social media X, Anonymous carried out doxing by revealing a number of personal data claimed to belong to Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is accused of being the owner of the account.

"Fufufafa's personal data has been leaked by Anonymous and AnonGhost Indonesia. Access Personal Data: t.me/YourAnonId/88," tweeted the X account, as quoted on Saturday, September 14, 2024.

The link shared in the upload leads to Gibran's personal data, starting from his full name, date of birth, telephone number, to the email of President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) eldest son.

Although Gibran's claim of ownership of the Fufufafa account has not been proven, member of the Perludem Advisory Board, Titi Anggraini, emphasized that there are steps that should be taken by the account owner to prevent wider chaos.

"In a moral and ethical democracy, it is better to admit mistakes and apologize. This is important for moral standards, and behavioral improvements, and reconciliation with the injured parties. This is so that it does not become a long-term problem," said Titi, Sunday, September 22, 2024.

According to Titi, the Fufufafa account phenomenon must be seen in a broader context, related to the quality of democracy in Indonesia. This account's posts reflect poor digital literacy among the public.

"The owner of the Fufufafa account can also be called 'politically illiterate', because his posts insult political opponents or parties with different views. This reflects shallow political hatred and shows inadequate literacy," she explained.

In addition, the owner of the account is considered unethical in treating the dignity of others, especially women. Titi also highlighted how the owner of this account is very discriminatory against the sexual orientation, gender, and political choices of others.

"If he really is a politician, then clearly he is not a credible politician. Good political communication will not be carried out in this way," she said.

Titi concluded by saying that the Fufufafa account case reflects the failure of digital literacy and political education in Indonesia. "This is a reflection of our poor digital literacy and political behavior, which should be a reflection for all parties," she concluded.

Psychologist Consultation Needed

University of Indonesia’s (UI) Law Faculty Professor Jimly Asshiddiqie, through his personal X account on Sunday, September 15, stated that the Fufufafa account reflects the low quality of democracy in Indonesia. "FUFUFAFA is a reflection of a democratic civilization that is still low and rustic. Very dominated by negative campaigns and personal attacks," Jimly tweeted.

Meanwhile, psychologist Iswan Saputro assessed that the owner of the Fufufafa account has a loser mentality. According to him, the account is used to insult and harass other people on social media without a sense of responsibility. The account owner chooses to hide behind anonymity or use a burner account, just like buzzers who do not dare to show their real identities when spreading hoaxes and hate speech.

Forensic psychologist Reza Indragiri also expressed his concerns if Gibran is proven to be the owner of the Fufufafa account. He highlighted several posts that indicate that the account owner may be addicted to adult sites. According to Reza, this kind of addiction can affect the part of the brain related to decision making.

"Research shows that pornography addiction can affect the forebrain, which plays a role in executive function," Reza said on a YouTube channel on Friday, September 20, 2024.

The executive function of the forebrain, Reza explained, plays a role in logic, problem analysis, solution creation, and decision-making. "Imagine if the account owner (Fufufafa is Gibran), our vice president, and the volume of his forebrain has shrunk. His thinking and decision-making abilities could be disrupted, and we would be miserable, wouldn't we?" could face big problems," he explained.

Reza suggested that the Fufufafa account owner immediately visit a psychologist or psychiatrist for help. "Consulting with a psychologist or psychiatrist can be a solution for anyone who owns this account," he said.