Social Media Can Spread Narrative of Indonesian-ness

AFP/LIONEL BONAVENTURE AND NICOLAS ASFOURI

From top: the Google logo displayed on a screen and reflected on a tablet in Paris, France, 29 April 2018; Twitter logos on a computer screen in Beijing, China, 23 March 2018; and the logo of social network Facebook displayed on a screen and reflected on a tablet in Paris, France, 28 April 2018. US President Donald Trump stepped up his criticism of internet firms Tuesday, 28 August 2018, hours after attacking Google over what he called "bias" against him and his supporters. "Google and Twitter and Facebook -- they are really treading on very, very troubled territory and they have to be careful," Trump told reporters at the White House. The comments come after the president last week slammed social media firms for what he claimed was suppression of conservative voices, and Tuesday\'s tirade against Google that claimed news search results were "rigged" to favor "left-wing media."

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — In the midst of the increasingly rapid use of social media, efforts to maintain the image of Indonesian-ness as pioneered by the nation\'s founders faces complicated challenges. The rise of the spread of disinformation or hoaxes through social media can cause social fragmentation.

However, the challenge can be overcome if there is a collective awareness on the part of the creators of social media content to spread narratives that can maintain the image as a diverse nation. On the other hand, people\'s digital literacy must be improved.

Concerns about the negative impact of hoaxes on social media are illustrated by the Kompas R&D Survey 6-7 November 2019, involving 520 respondents in 17 major cities in Indonesia. As many as 60.2 percent of respondents saw hoaxes on social media as a potential trigger for the nation and state division. Meanwhile, 19.6 percent of respondents thought hoaxes could trigger commotion among community groups.

Professor of political communication at the Indonesian Education University (UPI) ,Karim Suryadi, Monday (11/11/2019), said, like other forms of media, social media was only a means that enabled narration to be built. However, whether the narrative is positive or negative depends on the individual who creates the narration.

With regard to the potential of social media to be used to strengthen national ties, he said, was highly dependent on the collective awareness of the creators of the content. "As social media can play a much bigger role in building the Indonesian-ness image, it only depends on how the content is presented, and the content creators or social media users have digital awareness and maturity," Karim said.

ANTARA FOTO/WAHYU PUTRO

A resident gives his signature to support an anti-hoax movement during the car free day event at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on Sunday (10/2/2019).

However, in practice, social media has a filtering effect and an echo chamber effect. Because an internet user is only exposed to information that he already believes in. "This makes social media be used by certain parties to give birth to the hoax ecosystem," said chairman of the Indonesian Anti-Defamation Community Research and Development Committee Santi Indra Astuti.

Social media role

Concerns about the negative impact of social media on national unity are inversely proportional to the condition in the early 20th century. A part of the fighters made mass media as a means to spread the Indonesian-ness image.

Historical activist Bonnie Triyana said social media had great potential as a medium to preserve and maintain the Indonesian-ness image. However, before that, public literacy must be increased first so that the public understands the messages and narratives distributed on social media so that they are not easily provoked.

Exemplary behavior is shown through critical thinking and ideological debate in a healthy, intellectual, and strong-willed way.

As part of millennial generation, the activist of Digital Young Class, Afra Suci Ramadhon, said that the image of Indonesian-ness should be sourced from an understanding of the example of the nation\'s founders and heroes. Exemplary behavior is shown through critical thinking and ideological debate in a healthy, intellectual, and strong-willed way.

"We are trying to preserve the imagination of a sense of unity as part of the Indonesian nation by contributing to the birth of a critical generation, willing to make changes for an advanced Indonesia, and respecting diversity," she said.

Meanwhile, a surfer who is also travel vlogger, Gemala Hanafiah, said that a social media platform that allows two-way communication helps content creators and followers explore news in a deeper way. "With a social media character like that, it will be easier to ‘provoke’ friends to be able to build pride about Indonesia," Gemala said.

Gemala, who in the last few years has created travel and marine content, has transmitted the nationality image through travel narratives. According to her, pride grows naturally when seeing firsthand and understanding the great potential of Indonesia\'s natural wealth. The sense of belonging to natural wealth should be the starting point for equality in rebuilding the national image.(SAN/AGE/ NIA)