Indonesia has the fourth largest number of Facebook users in the world, but the way Indonesians use Facebook is sometimes unique. From a Westerners perspective, some posts will appear to be weird, if not totally inappropriate.
Here is my top 10 of weird things I regularly read on my Facebook newsfeed:
1) The "I'm on my period" status
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| Short translation: "I'm on my period and you should all know about it" |
Being on your period in Indonesia is not something you keep for yourself. If you work in an office, you will probably be informed of every details of your colleagues' periods, either by looking if there is a bottle of Kiranti on their desk, or by checking their facebook/twitter/instagram statuses.
2) The "I look like a cat" photo
This photo trend actually comes from Korea but it is very popular in Indonesia too. The idea is to add some cat features to one of your photos so you will look like the lady above.
3) Look Who's Dead
Posting a photo of a deceased person on Facebook is oddly common in Indonesia.
4) Violent, Graphic Photos of Accidents
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| Translation: "I hope you are having your breakfast when you see this" |
The above picture is the last thing I want to see on my Facebook. Yet if you looked closely, it has over 120,000 likes and thousands of shares. Note that I am the one who pixellated the image as the original was too horrible to look.
5) Photo of the hand with intravenous needle in hospital
This is a classic. When an Indonesian goes to a hospital, it seems he always ends up with an "infus" (intravenous therapy), whatever his sickness is. I suspect that it is a way for hospital to charge their patients a bit more. Patients are happy too because it gives them the opportunity for a Facebook post.
6) Photo of friends jumping on a beach
There is a rule that if more than 4 Indonesian friends go to a beach together, they will take a picture of themselves jumping at the same time with their hands up in the air.
7) The selfie wall with the same photo duplicated a 1000 times
This is particularly common among Indonesian teenage girls. Basically, they will post hundreds of a very similar selfie replicated dozens of times. Popular poses include the duck face, the peace sign, the annoyed look, the silly eyes, etc. I have seen some profiles with thousands of those pictures.
8) Look What I'm Eating
Posting about the food you are eating, even if it is just a nasi goreng is a must in Indonesia.
9) Ground Zero Selfie
The Ground Zero (the memorial for the 2002 Bali Bombing Victims) is full of people taking selfies or "foto narsis". This is a very special photo which is usually the highlight of any trip in Bali, better than the beach, the temples or the rice fields.
10) Look I met a Bule
Translation: "I went to the zoo and look what I saw"
There are quite many other typical things Indonesian post on Facebook like the blackberry advertising, the conspiracy theories, the save Gazas, the Jilbab or the over-exposed selfies, etc. If you think I forgot one, please leave a comment below and I'll update the post.