The pen is mightier than the sword, so the expression goes in English. In Indonesian, another popular expression, coopted for an advertising campaign and bandied about in the latest celebrity-media feud, is that the little pearls of wisdom or vittles of vitriol that come out of our mouths can be the "tiger" that come back to bite us in the butt.
So be careful what you say, or what you write on a social network site, because it can and will be used against you. Look no further than entertainer Luna Maya who, faster than you can say "Tiger Woods", has seen her image come crashing down before her. Advertising queen, sometime actress and co-host of one of the legion of teen-oriented music shows, Luna's alleged tweet denouncing infotainment journalists as lower than prostitutes and murderers ignited a backlash.
So what, I hear you ask. With so many more important things going on in the world, one churlish tweet is of little consequence. To paraphrase Shakespeare, is this much twaddle about tweeting?
Well, it was to some people, at least the infotainment journalists and program producers. The next day, incensed infotainment shows were quick to put Luna in her place. She was arrogant and uncooperative, they sniped, and, they alleged, is a home wrecker to boot (she has long been rumored to be involved with Ariel, the now divorced lead singer of Peterpan). Ouch.
Fellow celebrities were interviewed who, no doubt wary of engendering some negative reporting of their own, were careful to note that they realized the media was as important as fans in helping them get to the top. So don't bite the hand that feeds you, princess.
A couple of days later, the Indonesian Journalists Association reported the entertainer to the police for defamation, with a six-year jail sentence and/or Rp 1 billion fine in the offing. Luna, taking a leaf out of the presidential guide on dealing with firestorms, has remained tight-lipped and tweetless, and that alleged provocative tweet has disappeared into cyber oblivion.
I cannot speak for infotainment journalists, but as someone who works in the media, I did not pay much heed to Luna's lashing out. Of course, it raises an eyebrow or two, but not for the views expressed - they can be found among the general public.
Everybody is supposedly entitled to their opinion, especially in the democracy we enjoy today, and in social networks we often express them unthinking of how others perceive them. We read too many self-serving posts and status updates, with people whining about shoddy co-workers, or their marriage woes, venting to an unwitting and often unwilling audience of "friends" who will judge them by their statements.
I saw reports about Luna's tweet and thought it must have been in the moment. She had been surrounded by a posse of journalists at a night out at the movies with Ariel's daughter and parents; in footage shown on TV, she is seen asking in a strained voice to be left alone, but also saying that she will give the journalists time later.
The tweet was angry, impetuous, and I dare say imprudent; like most of us, free from our tormentors, we let go in cyberspace by saying the things we wish we could spout off to bullies and braggards, but are just too afraid to face the potential consequences of our honesty.
More disturbing to me than the insults contained in the tweet, however, was that it was unthinking and rash to air her grievances in a public forum. As an advertising icon, Luna has to consider that what she puts out in public also reflects on those who pay her hefty endorsement checks. That in itself should have been reason enough for her to think twice before sharing her anger and grievances with the world, including the objects of her derision.
I am no big fan of Luna Maya the entertainer. But, as a journalist and a private citizen, I will defend someone's right to say what they wish in a social network, just as people banded together to support the right of Prita Mulyasari. Let someone tweet and twitter and titter on as they wish; let's also be big enough to realize that most of us have the smarts to read between the lines and see the truth, or lack thereof, of someone's words.
- Bruce Emond
