Navigating Piety and Privacy: A Study on Netizens' Reactions to Hijab Removal in Indonesia

Abstract

This research aims to analyze netizens' responses to Nathalie's and Putri Anne's posts regarding their choices. Social media, which provides a space for freedom of expression, has various impacts on human life, as seen in the trending discussions among netizens regarding the posts of Nathalie and Putri Anne, who showed their decision to remove their hijabs after reportedly getting divorced. This article employs content analysis, psychological, and human rights approaches to examine data consisting of comments on @nathalieholscher's Instagram posts and @anneofficial18's TikTok posts related to the phenomenon of removing the hijab. The research findings reveal that netizens' responses can be categorized into three types of comments: aggressive, constructive, and neutral. However, the most prevalent comments are aggressive and predominantly aimed at undermining the mental state of the artists in the posts. Thus, if this harms someone, it can be considered a violation of human rights. All responses appearing in the posts are a form of exercising the right to freedom of expression in conveying opinions granted by the State while still considering religious values, morality, order, and national integrity as the established boundaries. However, the author assesses the insufficient attention of netizens to the established boundaries, considering the widespread use of inappropriate language to express hatred in comments