J

onathan Dunan, 36, became a viral sensation on social media in April after a video, which depicted him kicking a boy at a mall’s playground in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, was widely circulated.

It showed the boy in question unintentionally hitting his daughter while on a swing. Jonathan then approached the two and kicked the boy, an action that he described as “a reflex to prevent the swing from hitting her again”. The boy’s mother, Dewi, confronted him and recorded their altercation on her phone.

Jonathan and Dewi apologized to each other after the incident, but her video made its way onto popular Instagram gossip fan page @lambe_turah and its followers were quick to judge him.

It turned into a witch hunt as some netizens managed to get their hands on his personal information, such as his home address, mobile phone number and ID-card.

The netizens leaked the information on the internet, which resulted in Jonathan being threatened by anonymous callers.

In an era where everyone has a camera and a social media account, bad behavior in public can spread in seconds.

Jonathan’s case is one example of how videos or pictures of people allegedly behaving badly can go viral, resulting in negative comments and demands for justice even though the two bickering parties resolved
the issue.

In April, a video of a teenage boy being forced to pour used engine oil on his head became viral and attracted the attention of the authorities. The boy was told to do it by an auto shop owner as punishment for stealing a spare part.

The case was settled between the shop owner and the boy’s family in Yogyakarta but the video went viral and internet users demanded legal action. NetTV reported in early May that the police had summoned both parties “because many netizens had asked about a legal follow up to the case”.

Last year, a picture of a woman taking up more than her fare share of seats in a packed commuter line car went viral. She instantly became a target of harsh comments from netizens.

Henny Wirawan, a psychologist from the Meliora Learning Academy, said the mob mentality among internet users was developed when they copied other users who wrote negative comments.

“When users leave negative comments and don’t get reprimanded for their behavior, other users may follow suit because they think that their actions are justified because others are doing the same or because they don’t face any consequences for such actions,” Henny added.

Agus Sudibyo, the director of Sosmed Watch, said users felt it was easier to bully others because the internet enabled them to hide their identities.

They became braver when writing negative comments about someone because they know they would not face the consequences of their actions, he added.

“The anonymity that the internet offers also makes users leave comments first and think later,” Agus told The Jakarta Post.