Cyberbullied athletes push back amid rise of nationalism on social media

Despite suffering a severe hamstring injury at the end of the second game, Indonesian badminton player Anthony Sinisuka Ginting soldiered on to the end of the two hour, three game match in the men’s finals of the 2018 Asian Games, coming in second place against his Chinese counterpart.

After Ginting was carried off the court on a stretcher in agony it wasn't the congratulatory note from Indonesian President Joko Widodo that captured the public's attention. Rather, it was the wave of anger vented at the 22-year-old on social media.

“You are the dumbest Indonesian player of all time,” said one Instagram post. “Don’t only use your muscles when you play, but also your brain!” was the insult from another. “Don’t you feel sorry for the supporters that already cheered for you? Moron!", said yet another post that received a number of likes.

The social media tsunami Ginting experienced on Instagram – 30,000 mostly negative comments posted in a day – is an all-too-common example of the added stress athletes must endure, especially when they compete on behalf of their countries. While feelings of nationalism often reach fever pitch during competitions like the Olympics or Asian Games, the real-time feedback and escalating verbal abuse in cyberspace has become a harrowing new reality that many athletes are ill-equipped to deal with.

“Diehard fans always demand victory,” said Nukman Luthfie, a digital media practitioner in Indonesia. “They do not care about the process.”