Digital Literacy and Refrain

Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro

Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G Plate showed a number of printed copies from a number of portals, instant messages, and social media related to fake news (hoax) new coronavirus (Covid-19) at the Office of the Ministry of Communication and Information, Jakarta, on Monday (3 2/2020).

According to Globalwebindex data published in January, there are about 160 million active social media users in Indonesia, while in the world, the number reaches 3.8 billion users.

Almost every year, Indonesia is ranked among the top five countries in the world in active social media users; along with India, the United States, Brazil and Mexico.

International Social Media Day is observed annually on June 30. In Indonesia, in 2015, social media activists agreed to commemorate Social Media Day on June 10. The commemoration is part of an effort to increase public awareness so that they can use social media responsibly and to bring a positive impact on their lives.

However, it must be acknowledged, until today, social media has not been used responsibly as the glue of the community and as a tool to improve the quality of life. In fact, social media can trigger disunity in the community and exacerbate conflict. This condition is not just seen in Indonesia but also in many countries.

Information manipulation on social media played an important role in elections in at least in 18 countries, in the past year, including the United States. The situation continues to this day.

Freedom House, a non-profit organization that aims to advance democracy and freedom of opinion, based in Washington published a report in November 2017 on the manipulation of media, especially social media, to weaken democracy. Information manipulation on social media played an important role in elections in at least in 18 countries, in the past year, including the United States. The situation continues to this day.

In Indonesia, as reported by the Indonesian Anti-Defamation Society (Mafindo) , hoaxes have flooded the community through social media during the past two years. In 2019, when presidential and legislative elections were held, the number of hoaxes reached an average of 100 per month, 60 percent of which were political. At present, the number reaches more 100 hoaxes per month, mostly related to the Covid-19 outbreak (Kompas, 11/06/2020). The Communication and Information Ministry reported that between Jan. 23 and June 2, there were 802 hoaxes related to the Covid-19 pandemic that circulated in the in the community.

KOMPAS/M PASCHALIA JUDITH J

Illustration: A social media user who is viewing a Rius Vernandes Youtube account, a vlogger that reviews his flight experience through his personal account.

A Press Council study in November 2019 showed that almost 70 percent of Indonesians relied on information from social media. Social media, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as chatting apps such as WhatsApp and Line, have become the channels for hoax distribution.

According to the chairman of Mafindo, Septiaji Eko Nugroho, people use social media but they don’t know how to distinguish between false and verified information. Digital literacy has to be improved.

Information obtained from various sources should be verified (Kompas, 12/6/2020).

Increasing the awareness of citizens on the positive use of social media is our shared responsibility. There should be an improvement in literacy, which means dealing with language, especially digital, and it should target many people. At the same time, the campaign "filter before sharing" or "stop at you" should continue to be encouraged so that the hoaxes do not spread. Citizens must be reminded to refrain. If today he spreads hoaxes, one day he could become the victim of the hoaxes.