The paradox of information technology: Between freedom of speech and the legal threats behind visual criticism in Indonesia

This article considers the recent controversy over visual criticism in Indonesia and has received an aggressive response from the government. Criticism is part of freedom of speech and is an integral part of a democracy. The development of today's technology makes it easy for criticism to sprea...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Talani, Noval Sufriyanto, Towadi, Mellisa
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Freedom of speech
Legislation
Paradoxes
Speech
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article considers the recent controversy over visual criticism in Indonesia and has received an aggressive response from the government. Criticism is part of freedom of speech and is an integral part of a democracy. The development of today's technology makes it easy for criticism to spread, especially the images shared through social media. Behind this convenience, the Electronic Information and Transaction Law (ITE Law) will threaten freedom of speech in Indonesia. Through visual semiotic analysis of 7 controversial images, this study identifies three types of criticism. The three types of criticism are satire, factual, and insulting or belittling. Each type of criticism has a different visual appearance and the meaning contained in it. Therefore, these three types of criticism should not be generalized as a violation of the law. The indiscriminate application of the ITE Law can be a threat to freedom of speech. Ironically all this becomes a paradox when technological developments in Indonesia have brought revolutionary changes in the social, political, economic, and cultural systems.
ISSN:0094-243X
1551-7616
DOI:10.1063/5.0104115