Coarse Language and Vulgarity Takes Precedence over Ethical Humanist Ideals: Misguiding Principles of Democracy in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

The adoption of social media in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has outpaced cultural and institutional processes, distorting the discourse of the people in a way that tends to give much more weight to crude language and vulgarity than to ethical humanism principles. This paper reviews the impact of such dynamics on the nature of democratic deliberation and social life in ordinary life and the most feasible policy and education responses. We employed the qualitative cross-sectional design and conducted semi-structured interviews with the samples of about 50 PNG social-media users sampled purposely by age groups and professions. Thematic analysis identified four themes that were repeated (1) normalization of abuse speech that undermines civic engagement; (2) devaluation of age and community standards; (3) uncertainty about online legal/ethical lines in the context of abusive speech; and (4) the perceived absence of consequences against the actions of abusive figures of authority who set a bad example online. Individuals who took part in the campaign demanded more realistic solutions such as education on digital literacy, awareness campaigns led by cultural values, better platform and regulatory directions, and increased accountability in leadership. We present implications on the National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) and other stakeholders concerned by describing viable policy drivers as well as education interventions, and we bring up the shortcomings of purposive sampling and self-report. The paper provides a conclusion with a framework of connection between digital civility, ethical humanism and democratic practice in PNG