Beware of hoaxes ahead of the 2019 general election

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Banners encouraging people not to spread hoaxes are seen on Jl. S Parman, Jakarta, on Friday (23/11/2018). Perpetrators can be charged under Article 28 of the Electronic Information Transactions (ITE) Law.

Finally, it has been revealed that rumor circulating on social media about the ballots that had been cast was baseless news or hoaxes. The news had raised fears of cheating in the 2019 presidential election. Even though the hoax could finally be denied, the issue is alarming: hoaxes are still widely spreading and becoming a campaign strategy.

The baseless news on social media is very dangerous. The news is confusing and has the potential to create chaos. Why is it so dangerous?

Citizen journalism

In essence, writing on social media is a conversation. The negative results of the conversation in social media are extraordinary, resulting in massive and simultaneous consequences.

At present, there is a change in the values and the formation of new cultures. A change that gives rise to a new relationship between the makers and recipients of the news, namely the emancipatory relation. The news, which previously tended to come from one direction, from the mass media towards the community, is now in two directions: from the news-making community to the news recipient community. Therefore, there appears the term citizen journalism.

With citizen journalism, news is in the form of peer to peer. Newsmakers become the domain of anyone with an interest. In this context, the hoax about the ballots that were punched was made. This news was made for certain purposes, namely political interests to bring down the opponents.

Hoaxes, which can be in the form of writing, pictures and videos, are becoming increasingly dangerous because of the emergence of a post-truth era. In the post-truth era, the actual facts are not so important, because the most important thing is how the storyline or discourse is made. Baseless stories or discourses can be true if they are continuously launched into the public space.

The stories or discourses reach their goal if they have taken several stages. These stages are: first, throwing the issue. Discourse makers throw an issue, for example, the issue of the ballots that have been cast. The second stage, the issue spreads by itself. This process is called a viral process. Third, the final process is the effort to make the discourse successful, namely when the discourse enters the mainstream media radar. Discourses that are previously viral from one device to another are captured and published by the mainstream media. That is when the discourse reaches its goal as it becomes public consumption.

Why can hoaxes spread? First, because of low public awareness of the truth of information. Second, the present behavior of people who can easily click, like and share without checking for truths. Thirdly, the rising flood of information, unstoppable, from all sources.

If they are not vigilant, the public can be influenced by a false issue. When baseless issues spread in social media, chat groups, websites, television, print media, electronic mail and radio applications, chaos can spread. Therefore, extra caution is needed. The post-truth era requires vigilance and rationality to avoid any lies and a condition to pit one against the other.

The bad thing about hoaxes

There are several causes for the emergence of hoaxes. First, the goal justifies all means. For immoral people, any method can be used as long as it creates an advantage. Second, the weak condition of the Information and Electronic Transaction Law (ITE Law). The weakness of the law becomes a gap for evil deeds to launch false news and slander, pitting people against each other. Third, weak law enforcement. The lack of firmness in the actions against hoax news allows immoral persons to easily launch false stories.

Hoaxes are increasingly easy to spread because of the supportive atmosphere. The atmosphere is now an era where information is decentralized to every individual, an era full of misguided information, lies, slander and insults. In politics, each party has the potential to produce hate speech, harassment and attacks against each other.

In the end, the people become victims of provocation, hate speech and division in hostility. People are divided due to discriminatory behavior related to ethnic, religious, racial and intergroup (SARA) sentiments. If left unchecked, this tendency can lead to conflicts between individuals and groups. The nation can split.

What are the interests behind hoaxes? The most frequent are political interests. The issue of the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), foreign debt, imports and unequal development are examples of hoaxes with a political agenda.

In addition to political interests, hoaxes can also arise due to other interests, such as business interests and to take advantage by pitting the community. The issue that is spread about the bankruptcy of a bank, for example, is an issue with a business background. With this issue, there could be a rush, thereby causing the rumored bank to actually go bankrupt.

To prevent the spread of hoaxes, make social media a medium for spreading positive ideas. First, think first before acting. Don\'t easily share news. Second, check whether the news comes from a trusted source. Third, be polite on social media. Don\'t be easily emotional on social media; be full of wisdom, generosity, humbleness, appreciation and sympathy as well as empathy. Fourth, behave by always avoiding conflicts.

These positive attitudes will prevent anyone from participating as hoax actors. These positive attitudes will also be a barrier to the spread of hoaxes.

These positive attitudes, if they become general behavior, will automatically eliminate or at least minimize false news, slander and the pitting of one against the other. The hope is that the public space of Indonesia ahead of the 2019 general election will become clean from hoaxes, so that the simultaneous election discourse can encourage positivity. (Toto Sugiarto, Executive director of Riset Indonesia, analyst at Exposit Strategic, lecturer at Paramadina University and PTIQ)