In recent months, there has been a video that is circulating on social media depicting a local TikToker making false allegations and ill-informed statements with the intention to slander.
When a fellow social media user attempted to address such a destructive trend, it was accompanied by several “influencers” banding together with their followers to harass the “detractor”.
What concerns me the most is how skilful these “influencers” are in convincing the public that what they are doing is above board, that they haven’t broken any law defaming those who don’t agree with them. By having the courage to stand up to the bullies, they are instead putting their own reputation on the line, with some having their personal and/or work lives affected in a big way.
One of the beauties of social media is its ability to spread joy and information to a wider audience. Sadly, it is also used by certain “influencers” to incite panic and fear, prompting their followers to attack individuals who don’t see eye-to-eye with them.
Even more sinister is the all-out attack on people who are suffering from mental health issues, hounding them with false statements, harassing them in real life and driving them to their breaking point.
The question is: What are the authorities going to do to assure the public that they are top of things? These so-called influencers are clearly breaking the law by distorting public views with their videos but where is the action?
While it is commendable that the authorities want to tackle mental health issues in the country, what about their root causes?
A number of people have voiced their concerns on public forums of the open harassment of these social media influencers, and that it is ruining the reputation of the country. Imagine people from other parts of the world watching these videos. What would they make of us as a community, as a people?
Disappointed Bruneian
