‘Internet celebrity’ chaos
Taiwanese influencers Chen Neng-chuan (陳能釧) and Lu Tsu-hsien (魯祖顯) staged an assault and kidnapping in a Cambodian “scam compound” during a live broadcast earlier this month and then claimed to have escaped the next day.
Chen, known as “Goodnight Chicken” (晚安小雞) and Lu, who goes by the handle “a-Now” (阿鬧), were arrested by the Cambodian police on Feb. 14 for fabricating the incident.
They were sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a fine for “incitement to discriminate” and making false statements.
Internet celebrities have become very popular in recent years.
Their unrestricted broadcasts and vulgar language are often unpleasant to the ear, but their antics attract many fans. The rule of law has failed to penalize or restrict such disorderly behavior.
Some of them are even linked to politicians and continue to cause trouble on the Internet.
Internet celebrities seem to enjoy a high degree of freedom of speech and freedom of conduct in Taiwan’s society and online community.
The chaos of this cultural phenomenon has existed for quite some time and has been casting a shadow over Taiwanese society.
However, this time, the major setback of “Goodnight Chicken” and “a-Now” has served as a great reminder and an alternative experience for similar Taiwanese agencies.
Hopefully, the government would take the Internet celebrity chaos seriously, amend the law and use its public power, so people would not think that the rule of law in Taiwan is inferior to that of Cambodia.
Tao Yi-che
New Taipei City
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