Finding harmony online
While 29 provinces have been designated as a dark red zone and the government has prolonged lockdowns for another two weeks, people have utilised social media platforms to relieve anxiety and stay connected with the outside world.
With a score of 69%, Thailand ranked 19th in the recent Microsoft Digital Civility Index (DCI) survey, with the top five being the Netherlands (51%), the United Kingdom (55%), the United States (56%), Singapore (59%) and Taiwan (61%).
Conducted annually for the past five years, the DCI study gathered data from 16,000 users in 32 countries between April and May last year, with a low score suggesting limited exposure to online hazards. This year, nine countries from Asia Pacific namely Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam were added to the list.
The research showed that the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) performed better in online civility in 2020 with a score of 66, compared with the previous year’s score of 68. The global DCI also improved to 67 from 2019’s all-time poor score, indicating that more people are experiencing positive online interactions.
“The annual study on digital civility is crucial to raising awareness and encouraging positive online interactions. Our societies are relying on and embracing digital technologies more than ever amid the Covid-19 crisis and a safer internet will improve experiences and shape the well-being of our communities,” said Liz Thomas, regional digital safety lead (Asia-Pacific) at Microsoft.
The top 10 internet hazards include cyberbullying, abuse, discrimination, sexual harassment and hate speech as well as getting inappropriate relationship requests and receiving sexual content.
With the most favourable DCI scores on the Asia Pacific continent, Singapore and Taiwan are ranked first and fifth respectively. Other markets, on the other hand, have reported more unfavourable internet experiences, with Indonesia coming in at 29 and Malaysia having the lowest DCI over the last five years. With a six-percentage-point increase to 72 on the measure, Vietnam had the biggest improvement in the region.
Teenagers were shown to be good drivers of DCI development, scoring 63 on the worldwide scale of online civility, compared to adults at 72. Teens in Singapore had a DCI score of 50, compared to 68 for adults, while teenagers in Taiwan received a score of 55, compared to 67 for adults.
Overall, 26% of respondents said online civility improved during the epidemic, owing to people assisting one another and a stronger feeling of community, while 22% said it had worsened, owing to the dissemination of incorrect and misleading information.
Back in Thailand, the political situation is deteriorating and society continues to be driven by hatred, with Facebook and Twitter becoming open battlegrounds for netizens to express their opinions through hate speech and violence.
After staying away from political issues and not responding to netizens for a few months, several popular figures in various fields have become targets of hate speech. For instance, Professor Yong Poovorawan was dubbed a pharmaceutical sales agent for Sinovac after contributing research on cross-formula vaccinations, while popular actress Patchrapa “Aum” Chaichua was chastised for her relationships, lifestyle, and looks.
Simultaneously, several of my Facebook friends have shared satirical comments or epigrams to blame others when they have opposing viewpoints, resulting in a poisonous environment. Today, news and information comes to us quickly and we must make snap decisions without thinking.
Other days, I monitored the Covid-19 situation through social networks and found that some of my neighbours were converting a village chat group into a political forum and a fake news board, culminating in a mini online fighting marathon.
In fact, this chat group was created to serve as a channel for conveying complaints to a village juristic person, thus some members served as a referee before some satirical conversations destroyed a community relationship.
Moreover, TV actor Thanapat “Toy Toy” Chanakulpisan made headlines last week after stabbing his girlfriend to death. His crime enraged social media as a slew of his followers expressed their support with messages like “keep fighting” and began condemning his girlfriend’s improper behaviour rather than offering condolences to her family.
All of these reflect online civility in Thailand, which has been fuelled by trolling and cyberbullying. In the midst of a pandemic and political crisis, exercising judgement and opening our minds to listen to each other have become crucial to society’s harmony.
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