“Malaysia Ranks 5th Worst in Global Cyberbullying – Are We Part of the Problem?”

Source: World Of Buzz

Cyberbullying has been making waves in the headlines, and it’s not a good look for Malaysia. According to a recent infographic shared by Harian Metro, Malaysia has found itself among the top five countries in the world for cyberbullying incidents, highlighting just how severe the issue has become.

A study by the Market Research Institute (IPSOS) revealed that Malaysia ranks 5th globally for cyberbullying, trailing behind Peru, Argentina, and Mexico, with Brazil taking 4th place. Shockingly, this puts Malaysia ahead of countries like Britain, Canada, and the US.

But that’s not all. UNICEF’s data shows Malaysia also ranks 2nd in Asia for cyberbullying, just behind China. Other Asian countries on the list include Singapore in 3rd, India in 4th, and Pakistan in 5th.

Notorious Cyberbullying Incidents in Malaysia

Recent cases of cyberbullying in Malaysia are hard to ignore. Take, for instance, Japanese cyclist Shinji Nakano, who faced the wrath of Malaysia’s notorious ‘onion army’ after a crash involving Malaysian cyclist Shah Firdaus Sahrom at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Nakano’s Instagram was bombarded with over 30,000 comments, most from enraged Malaysians expressing their frustration.

British cyclist Jack Carlin suffered a similar fate during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after an on-track clash with Shah Firdaus. Malaysian netizens launched an online attack, forcing Carlin to restrict comments on his social media.

While it’s clear that these incidents have drawn negative attention, the question remains: is it time for Malaysians to take a step back and reconsider how we handle frustration online?

We may rank 5th on the cyberbullying charts, but it’s up to us to make sure that’s not where we stay. Let’s change the narrative!