Reflection of Our Mentality on Social Media

Sadly, the distribution of information content on social media often turns important things into jokes. As a Tiktok user, I am also entertained by content that invites laughter, but there are times when I have to regret content that shows the lack of literacy among us.

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Misunderstandings about the content of "survey on the number of non-smoking men remaining at 5 percent in Indonesia" indicate the weakness of our literacy. Armed with the word "survey" without mentioning its source, male TikTok users have uploaded videos boasting "I am proud to be part of the 5 percent".

However, the survey was taken from an article by Nisa N Salsabila et al. titled "Overview of Smoking Habits in Indonesia Based on the Indonesia Family Life Survey 5 (IFLS 5)" (2022), without considering the data's characteristics. Nisa attached a table showing that the number of male smokers in Indonesia reached 95 percent, while the number of female smokers was 5 percent.

Try typing the keywords "Ken Arok Cambridge" in Tiktok's search feature, and you will find a meme video that says "When Ken Arok established his kingdom in 1222, the University of Cambridge had already been established 13 years earlier. If given the chance, Ken Arok could have gone to Cambridge for his studies."

However, there are times when we have to regret content that shows the lack of literacy among us.

This content may seem funny, comparing the civilization in Indonesia with that in Europe. Netizens also responded to the content with various comments, assuming that Indonesia will be as advanced as Europe when Ken Arok studied at Cambridge.

There is also Caucasian content that increases the number of viewers through the content "I love Indonesia", "Bules try Indonesian culture", "Bules wear the hijab during Ramadan in Indonesia", and the like. . Indeed, there is nothing wrong with the content. However, our netizens seem overproud with their content.

Using the label "Indonesia," we promote them. However, we only gain minimal benefits compared to the amount of money they receive through content monetization. Our population, which ranks fourth largest in the world, becomes a fertile ground for content creators.

Eurocentric mentality

Without us realizing it, this entertainment content actually reflects our thoughts which are still confined to Eurocentric views. European progress is celebrated, while our knowledge is considered far behind. In fact, if we look deeper, there is a lot of historical and archaeological evidence that shows the progress of our knowledge since the Hindu-Buddhist era.

Let's talk about the knowledge of using the numeral symbol zero, which we use today, was initiated by the Kingdom of Sriwijaya through the inscription of the year 608 in the Kota Kapur inscription. Our knowledge of mathematics and astronomy was also very advanced at that time.

When European nations established time units such as seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years, our nation had already established 15 different time units using a complicated astronomical calculation. These time units became customary in writing inscription dates in Ancient Java from the 11th to the 15th century.

Even if we equate the situation at Cambridge University during Ken Arok's lifetime, this educational institution was still a religious educational institution. This kind of institution has been present in Indonesia since the VIII century in Sumatra, Java and Bali. Archaeologists and historians call itkaresian, kadewaguruan, and kuti wihara, while we know it as pedepokan.

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The term "pedepokan" in modern views might be seen as a simple place where a teacher teaches martial arts, spiritual teachings, or mystical things. Who would have thought that the Hindu-Buddhist pedepokan is equivalent, perhaps even more advanced than the University of Cambridge in the 12th century.

Selection of professors (maharesi), senior lecturers (pamanguywan, pangubwanan), and junior lecturers and students (kaki, endang, tapaswi) in Java Ancient was carried out strictly over many years. There are times when the limited number of professors forces junior lecturers to become professors at Karesian, as was the case at Subhasita Karesian during the Kediri Kingdom in 1198.

The equal rights of men and women in gaining and developing knowledge in Ancient Java have been highly upheld. Hariani Santiko in his writing, Religion and Religious Education in the Majapahit Period (2012), stated that male scientists had the title pamanguywan, while female scientists had the title pangubwanan.

This condition is in contrast to Cambridge University, which only recognized equal rights for women and men in the late 1940s, as reported on the Cambridge University page, "The Rising Tide: Women at Cambridge".

This issue presents a serious challenge for us all. The problem of Eurocentric mentality still looms over our nation. I do not want to blame the colonization by European nations that lasted for 350 years. Perhaps the servant or slave mentality from colonialism practices still lingers within us, but it should not be normalized. There needs to be a mental awareness that our nation has been advanced for a long time.

This review is not just a romantic reminder of Nusantara's past glory, but also serves as a shared reflection and example. We have been able to compete with other nations for a long time. We should be even cooler than our ancestors.

The government, through its authority, can direct research as well as history and civic education materials that relate to the nation's mentality since ancient times. For example, the view that our ancestors have only been regarded as consumers of Chinese ceramics, Chinese coins, and Cambay marble tombs. It is only appropriate that this view be reversed.

This review is not just a reminder of the romanticism of the archipelago's past glory, but is also a reflection and shared example.

Our ancestors were a prosperous nation. They were so wealthy that expensive products from various parts of the world could be bought in large quantities. Even the Ming Dynasty once banned the export of kepeng to Majapahit due to the low exchange rate of kepeng compared to Javanese gold and the dwindling supply of kepeng in China. Not to mention, the discovery of Cambay marble graves in Indonesia is the most among all in the world, totaling 15 units out of a total of 27 units found worldwide.

Indeed, this "homework" seems trivial, but it has a big impact. Our nation's perception which has an impact on life motivation needs to be updated, along with developments in technology and information. If our mentality is developed well, I am sure that we can truly achieve the dream of Golden Indonesia 2045 in various fields.

Muhamad Satok Yusuf, Postgraduate Student, University of Indonesia

Instagram: denjusuf_