The paper ends with a call for digital literacy that teaches users to recognize when “just watching” is already participating in cruelty.
While watching cruelty may seem like a harmless or even entertaining activity, it can have serious consequences. These include:
This vignette exemplifies a recurring pattern: digital spectatorship that does not simply observe but actively retaliates, and where the line between the watcher and the watched collapses. This paper formalizes that pattern as nonton berbalas kejam . nonton berbalas kejam
Since this phrase is not a standard term in film or media studies, I will treat it as a proposed concept — a critical framework for analyzing in social media environments, particularly within Indonesian digital culture.
For those who engage in this behavior, watching cruelty can be a form of morbid curiosity or a way to experience a thrill. Some people may be drawn to the excitement or adrenaline rush that comes with witnessing something disturbing or violent. Others may be motivated by a desire to understand or learn from the experience. The paper ends with a call for digital
In 2022, an Indonesian TikTok user filmed a neighbor allegedly mistreating a stray cat. Within hours, the video was reposted across platforms with captions calling for the neighbor’s identification and punishment. Thousands of users watched, commented insults, and shared personal data. The neighbor later uploaded a tearful apology — which was met with renewed mockery. One comment read: “Kita nonton berbalas kejam sekarang” (“We’re watching each other cruelly now”).
This paper introduces the concept of nonton berbalas kejam (reciprocal cruel viewing) as a framework for understanding a distinct mode of digital spectatorship emerging in contemporary Indonesian social media. Unlike passive voyeurism or empathetic witnessing, nonton berbalas kejam describes a cyclical process in which viewers publicly watch, judge, and punish perceived transgressors — who are often themselves watching and responding in kind. Drawing on case studies from Twitter mob justice, TikTok comment wars, and live-streamed shaming events, the paper argues that this practice blurs the line between spectator and perpetrator, creating a feedback loop of cruelty that is both performative and addictive. The paper concludes by considering ethical implications for platform governance and digital literacy. This paper formalizes that pattern as nonton berbalas kejam
Data coded for:
Digital vigilantism, Indonesian internet culture, spectator cruelty, online shaming, performative justice, nonton berbalas kejam
Platforms optimize for engagement, and nonton berbalas kejam drives high engagement. Thus, platforms are structurally incentivized to enable cruelty loops. Moderating them requires recognizing that — some viewing is violent.