By: Anthon Jason | Republished from ICRS
The complexities of human interactions with landscapes often highlight how greater forces can exacerbate vulnerability and marginalization. When environmental challenges such as deforestation or pollution arise, they disproportionately impact the poor and marginalized, depriving them of their livelihoods and cultural identity. A parallel pattern of resource absorption and development is now seen in the digital landscapes, where the profound social challenges of mental illness are systematically used for visibility, profit, and access for certain parties.
This observation was the central concern of the recent CRCS-ICRS Wednesday Forum, featuring Ms. Ratna Noviani, an associate professor in the field of Media Studies. Her research, titled “Spectacularisation of ‘Madness’ and the Sugarcoated Discourse of Care in Indonesian Social Media”, investigated a viral YouTube channel run by an Indonesian police officer entitled: Purnomo Belajar Baik. Ms. Noviani, often referred to as Ms. Nana, noted that while these posts claim to promote care, they also position individuals with ‘madness’ as objects of entertainment and laughter for viewers’ enjoyment. Ms. Nana’s team utilized Michel Foucault’s concept of the dispositive, a network of ideas, institutions, rules, and practices that control society. The research revealed that the performance of charity and care is enabled by the convergence and functionalization of four distinct power structures, or dispositives.
Institutional Failure and the Medical Dispositive
The entire system of spectacularized care is built upon the structural neglect of mental health by the state. The research highlights the institutional marginalization of mental health issues, with only about 1% of the national health budget allocated to address these problems. Consequently, the state is effectively shifting its responsibilities to the public, emphasizing that public participation is highly expected in mitigating these issues. This structural failure provides the justification and opportunity for content creators to intervene, providing treatment while also simultaneously admitting they “have to take advantage of it”.
Concurrently, the medical dispositive operates as a mechanism for scientific and disciplinary control. In Indonesia, mental health management is regulated under the medical system organized by the Ministry of Health. Pak Purnomo mentions that he arranges medical treatment and education for those under his care. Through this framework, individuals are subjected to the authority of medical experts, who manage and control them through treatment and constant supervision. Individuals are compelled to adhere to required medication instructions. This practice confirms Foucault’s assertion that, despite the transformation of the social conception of madness, individuals are still “subjected to power and control”.
The Religious Dispositive: Care as Coerced Piety
The Islamic-based religious dispositive is functionalized to provide a powerful moral and ethical grounding for the content, framing the humanitarian actions within the “sugar-coated discourse of care”. Pak Purnomo consistently grounds his compassionate acts in Islamic morality and values, using phrases such as Bismillah, Masyaallah, and Alhamdulillah. He even defines madness religiously as the “risk of a person’s failure to handle a life challenge given by god”.
However, this dispositive is often used coercively and acts as a tool of enforcement. Pak Purnomo acts as an active religious actor who enforces religious practices, such as continually reminding individuals like Sony Pedot about Islamic prayers and even threatening a “punishment” if they are forgotten. This creates a contradiction, as people with madness are often free from religious obligations in Islamic law. Furthermore, Pak Purnomo exclusively features Muslim individuals, demonstrating a lack of inclusivity. This drive to enforce dominant religious values was starkly visible when he encouraged a man who admitted his atheist status to convert to Islam by reciting the shahada, viewing this as alignment with “Islamic principle”. The goal is to subject individuals with madness to dominant religious values to achieve recovery and be considered positively by society through an “Islamic POV”.
The Police-Military Dispositive: State Image Management
The police-military dispositive is leveraged through Pak Purnomo’s status as a police officer. While he claims his motivations are personal, his frequent choice to wear his uniform while conducting “rescues” allows his actions to symbolically represent the state’s role in caring for the insane. Madness is typically viewed as a threat to social order, and the police officer’s intervention reinforces the idea of maintaining security.
This benevolent service acts as public relations to improve the image of the Indonesian National Police, which has faced scrutiny due to issues like corruption and brutality. The Indonesian state remains “silent” about the dehumanization inherent in the content because they “get advantage from that”. This tacit support is significant, as Pak Purnomo received official appreciation, becoming a top candidate for a dedicated placement in 2023. The dispositive also enforces authority, such as when Pak Purnomo instructs Sony Pedot to salute the police officer as a sign of respect, confirming the power hierarchy.
The Digital Media Dispositive: Monetization of Vulnerable Lives
The digital media dispositive is the direct mechanism for monetization, transforming the suffering of the individuals into entertainment and consumption. By featuring those with madness in posted videos, Pak Purnomo mobilizes the “sugar-coated discourse of care” while also monetizing their unstable mental condition. Sony Pedot, whose Javanese nickname means “disconnected”, is central to this mechanism, as his erratic behaviors are constantly exposed for public view and entertainment.
Sony is effectively “put into work” and considered a “digital laborer” employed by Pak Purnomo to boost viewership and engagement. The content generates AdSense revenue, and Sony is even assigned to endorse local products from Lamongan, such as lumpia. This commodification involves deep violations of privacy, as personal details like family issues and divorce are exposed and scrutinized online, often without informed consent. While Pak Purnomo claims he uses Sony’s share of the earnings for medical care, the research concluded that the care provided covers Sony’s entire living, only because Sony is “required to work and expose himself as an object of spectacle” on social media.
Religious Ethics and the Contradiction of Visibility
The forum discussion highlighted a profound ethical conflict between the current digital spectacularization of care and core religious teachings on charity and humility. A participant explicitly noted the Christian principle found in the Bible, Matthew 6:3-4, which mandates that giving should be done in secret: “You give to the needy. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”. Ms. Nana confirmed that Islamic teaching relating to humanitarian action has a similar notion—to “give them with the right hand, then don’t let the left hand know”. This moral foundation of private, selfless giving, shared across both major traditions, is severely undermined in the digital era, revealing how ethical principles themselves are becoming commodified.
Ms. Nana directly linked the erosion of this ethical norm to Guy Debord’s concept of the Society of the Spectacle. In this contemporary era, everything “should be visible” and everyone “should know” about the humanitarian action. The world, she explained, has degraded “from being into having into appearance,” where “what good appears, appear is good”. This environment, enabled and facilitated by the platform mechanism, pressures content creators to put vulnerable lives on display, making the traditional moral principle of secret giving effectively obsolete. The result is that religious figures like Pak Purnomo must mobilize the Islamic-based religious dispositive to validate their public actions, even as they contradict the spiritual essence of private giving.
This reliance on religious framing creates severe internal contradictions within Islamic practice itself. Pak Purnomo grounds his acts in Islamic morality and values, but a forum participant noted that people with madness do not have any responsibility to do the good deed (i.e., religious obligations) in Islamic law. Yet, Pak Purnomo acts as an active religious actor who enforces religious discipline, continually reminding Sony Pedot to perform Islamic prayers and threatening a “punishment” if they are forgotten. Furthermore, the extreme example of Pak Purnomo asking a man who admitted his atheist status to convert to Islam by reciting the shahada demonstrates the coercive use of the dispositive, viewing conversion as alignment with “Islamic principle” and necessary for societal acceptance.
Ultimately, the spectacle facilitates a profound double standard regarding charity in Indonesian society. When Pak Purnomo (a Muslim) uses the Islamic-based religious dispositive, his actions—even the forced conversion—are accepted because “Nobody complains. Nobody”. Such acts are aligned with dominant religious values and seen as a “very good date”. Conversely, when Christians perform charitable acts, society often immediately suspects the Christian will do the this is the act of Christianization. Ms. Nana concluded that the key issue is that the dominant religious values become the lens through which society views and values everything, effectively permitting the public exploitation of the vulnerable under the guise of an “Islamic POV”.