By: Haris Abdullah *
On social media a person can transform 100% of his attitude from a quiet, gentle figure in the real world to being a fierce and aggressive figure on social media. It is undeniable that this fact has become a phenomenon of our society today.
How many cases like this occur and have been proven, that social media is able to change the views and attitudes of a person and the public towards a politician, such as in the case of DKI Jakarta Pilkada which abort incumbents on the issue of blasphemy released on social media.
Public debates on social media and Whatsapp groups have continued to lead to physical violence in the real world, during the DKI Jakarta Election campaign and many similar cases arose, the latest case in East Java where physical fights took place.
All triggers for physical violence related to political contestation in the run-up to the General Elections are several cases triggered by posts on social media. It is not impossible that a similar case will increase as some internet users (netizens) still like school children in new schools, stutter, do not understand the written and unwritten rules and ethics that guide the media community on the internet. Plus the influence of the results of our education in the past that lacks space for students to disagree and maintain opinions.
Especially in the midst of eastern culture, differences of opinion are still often taboo in their families or communities, especially related to religious and political views. The hope for a peaceful election in the digital era today seems to be increasingly difficult to realize given that in general the culture of our society is still not accustomed to differences of opinion, responding to ideas that do not violate the law, except ideas that conflict with the Constitution must be shut down.
This situation is an easy target for hoax content, low literacy culture in our society contributes significantly to our maturity in communicating on social media. It is undeniable that many fail to address hoax content, not only among the uneducated in the educated environment that the victims of hoax information are not small. Moreover, the hoax content is religious, many netizens devour this information without chewing first.
This situation is very worrying, especially for netizens, creators (creator content, bloggers, vlogers etc.) are always under surveillance and threat if we attack the idea of radical groups that often commit violence. Terror, physical persecution is not impossible to happen to him.
The mission as netizen content creators, bloggers, vlogers etc. is to support the constitution, help maintain the moral value of society, support social programs through social media, especially about national development.
However netizens, creator content, bloggers, vlogers etc. must support each other, and keep national unity and remind each other and have the same idealism to realize a peaceful 2019 election. The main challenges are not from outside but self-control in responding to the hoax information on social media, the solution is to balance hoaxes with useful and quality information. For this reason, it is expected that netizens will continue to spread the content of positive content in order to minimize hoax news, which in the end can intelligently use their voting rights without inciting Golput invitations. Let’s succeed in the 2019 Election with peace and dignity for national unity.
*Bloggers / Students Communication Univ. Brawijaya Malang
