There is responsibility in cyberspace

Writer: Lu Shi Min
Sin Chew, Dec 8, 2015

The advent of Internet has given netizens much freedom to express themselves. Those who used to be dormant in life would morph into “activists” and use the keyboard to voice out things they would never say or never dare to say on the screen and post them on the net.

In the recent issue in which Keadilan Vice President Pantai Dalam MP Nurul Izzah was pictured with a Sulu princess, some netizens threatened on-line to kill Nurul Izzah and her whole family “so that peace would return to Malaysia.”
Politics aside, such threat is directed not only at the party concerned but also inflames sentiments and instigates hatred. It is not a healthy social phenomenon.

This makes me recall the incident involving a BFM radio station anchor woman. She received a death threat, even threat of rape, for a video clip mocking Kelantan’s enforcement of the hudud law.

She was threatened and insulted so much so that she even cut short her hair to hide her identity. She cried and lived in fear. Words are like a sword. When the freedom of speech is abused on the net, it could become a heavy pressure to the extent that the victim could collapse mentally. If the victim is not strong, it could even lead to suicide.

Many netizens say things on the net just to feel thrilled and rarely think about the feelings of their victims and the consequences. Even though we live in a well-developed IT age and enjoy freedom of speech, people should not use the net to bully others and arouse extreme sentiments as this is unhealthy.

The Plaza Low Yat disturbance was a classic case where a simple theft of a hand-phone was spun into a racial issue by netizens who exaggerated and twisted the facts. It just goes to show how influential the social media is.

People should be responsible for their act, even in cyber space. People should also apologize if they said the wrong thing. Criola, an African anti-racial discrimination organization headed by a black woman, has launched a campaign called “Virtual racism, real consequences” to hit back at netizens using the Internet to spread racially bigoted comments.

Therefore, people should use the on-line tool well to bring cheer to others, to clarify doubts and defuse fears. They should make appropriate criticism to make the world a better place to live.

Original Source:
網絡世界也須有責任感