Jatinangor, 2026 – The academic community of Universitas Padjadjaran has once again achieved an honored accomplishment. This time, four students from the Indonesian Literature program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), at Unpad successfully earned a national grant through the Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa (PKM-AI) for 2026. The team, consisting of Firda Farika Mujahidah as the leader, Kanaya Eryana Putri, Anisa Aulia Ramadhani, and Nazwa Jasmine as members, successfully analyzed a major digital phenomenon recently trending online: the decline in netizens’ empathy toward disaster victims.
(Appreciation post on @unpadfib Instagram)
From the Sumatra Floods to the Phenomenon of Victim Blaming
Firda and her team explained that the choice of this research topic did not happen by chance but was triggered by concerns over a change in public behavior or reactions toward victims of the recent floods that struck Sumatra.
“The main catalyst for selecting this theme was that, initially, the public showed great concern and empathy toward the disaster victims. Yet, once narratives about looting by disaster victims emerged, we saw a significant number of public responses and comments on social media that began to lose empathy or concern for the victims.”
They found that these negative narratives triggered a massive phenomenon of victim blaming, which even reached the point of judging the victims and suggesting that the misfortune they experienced was expected. Through this scientific article titled “Erosi Empati Publik terhadap Korban Bencana Sumatra Akibat Narasi Penjarahan di Media Sosial: Analisis Wacana Kritis,” Firda and her team examined in greater linguistic detail how narrative construction influences public perception, as well as how discourse surrounding the “ideal victim” contributes to the drop of empathy in digital spaces and fuels victim blaming.
Time Management and Support from the Academic Advisor
The process of writing this research article took place during the academic break, therefore Firda and her team faced process challenges due to distance. However, they were able to overcome these challenges through strong communication, coupled with a shared sense of responsibility to complete the article as quickly as possible. Throughout the writing process, Firda and her team were also guided by Dr. Drs. H. Agus Nero Sofyan M.Hum, their academic advisor. Firda explained that the advising sessions were held in person, so only her, as the team leader, could attend due to distance constraints.
The support from their academic advisor was also one of the key factors in their success. During the mentoring period, Pak Nero was very supportive and able to provide excellent guidance to the team, even assisting with the article’s revision in terms of grammar to ensure it met the standards of a scientific paper.
An Unexpected Victory
Firda and the team admitted that they didn’t set high expectations from the start, so they initially focused solely on giving their best performance in completing and revising their article. The announcement that they had been selected as recipients of the 2026 national PKM-AI incentive was certainly a surprise and a sweet reward for their hard work.
According to them, this achievement is inseparable from the significant role played by the head of the Indonesian Literature program at FIB Unpad, who is considered very progressive in providing support, from facilities to encouraging all students to be brave to seize opportunities and compete in the PKM competition.
“Alhamdulillah, we were given the opportunity to be among the incentive recipients. We are very grateful and would also like to express our deepest thanks to our department chair, who has been very supportive and has encouraged all students to participate in this PKM.”
Congratulations to the Indonesian Literature student team from FIB Unpad! May this research on the erosion of empathy make a concrete contribution to the development of linguistic studies and social media awareness in Indonesia, as well as support SDG 16 (Peace, justice, and strong institution) in creating a more safe and fair digital space.
