By: Ratna Soemirat*
The celebration of Youth Pledge Day has always been a point of national reflection, reaffirming the spirit of unity. However, in the digital age, filled with the limitless flow of information, the commemoration has taken on a new meaning: it has become a momentum to strengthen vigilance against the increasingly massive digital provocation and disinformation. While once youth united to ward off physical colonialism, today the struggle has shifted to countering information colonialism that can divide the nation.
Rully Nasrullah, an academic from UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, believes that the biggest challenge facing today’s young generation is maintaining their resilience amidst the torrent of unverified information.
He believes the spread of hoaxes and intolerance often exploits sensitive issues such as ethnicity, religion, and race, as such topics easily provoke public outcry. When sensitive issues are exploited by certain parties, many people tend to react quickly without logically verifying the information they receive.
According to him, the role of the younger generation is very important because this group is the most active on social media, and at the same time the most vulnerable to the flow of disinformation that infiltrates through digital friendship circles.
He explained that false content spread online is often packaged in a convincing manner, making it difficult to distinguish from factual information. This situation requires mature thinking to avoid being trapped by emotional reactions.
Rully emphasized that the government, along with various institutions, has launched numerous initiatives to strengthen digital literacy. The Ministry of Education and Culture, for example, has formed a team to develop digital literacy guidelines for teachers, students, and parents.
In fact, various national media outlets have participated in Google training on how to verify information. However, he believes all these efforts will be futile without the personal awareness of digital media users to exercise restraint and think critically before reacting to an issue.
The 2025 Youth Pledge Day commemoration reaffirms that the spirit of nationalism does not stop at the slogan “One Homeland, One Nation, One Language,” but must also be translated into “One Digital Ethic.”
Suyadi Pawiro, Expert Staff for Central, Regional, and International Relations at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, believes that the spirit of unity must be manifested in social media behavior. He emphasized the crucial role of the younger generation as the vanguard in maintaining a healthy, safe, and productive digital public space.
Suyadi explained that the government continues to expand youth development through character building and digital literacy. This step is considered a long-term strategy to shape a generation that excels not only in knowledge but also in moral maturity. Digital literacy, he argued, serves as the nation’s defense against provocation, hate speech, and social polarization often sparked by the spread of hoaxes.
For the government, building youth character means building the nation’s future. Today’s challenges are no longer physical colonialism, but rather information colonialism, which can influence people’s ways of thinking and behavior.
The flow of extremist propaganda and violence-based ideologies circulating online poses a real threat to national stability. Young people are becoming easy targets for certain groups to spread hatred and radical narratives disguised as free speech.
On the other hand, social media observer Enda Nasution highlighted the phenomenon of information overload, which can lead to an identity crisis. He described the situation as being like someone sitting at a dining table full of dishes and devouring everything without any discernment. The result is “information poisoning,” which can lead to a loss of focus, difficulty thinking clearly, and even psychological distress such as anxiety and depression.
Enda believes that the lack of ability to sort information not only threatens the nation’s cultural identity, but can also give rise to complex social and mental problems.
Therefore, a balance between information consumption and a focus on self-development is essential. With strong digital skills, young people can utilize technology not only for entertainment but also as a means of collaboration, education, and strengthening national values.
He emphasized that the momentum of the Youth Pledge should encourage the younger generation to reflect: to what extent technology has been used to strengthen unity, rather than widen divisions. Digital literacy must evolve from mere technical skills to moral awareness in safeguarding public spaces from provocation.
In this context, the Youth Pledge is no longer merely remembered as a historical milestone in physical struggle, but also as an inspiration for intellectual and ethical struggle in the digital world.
The unity that was once proclaimed in Batavia has now found a new arena in cyberspace, where young people are being called upon to become guardians of the nation’s morals amidst a storm of disinformation.
This national moment serves as a reminder that the spirit of the Youth Pledge must not be limited to annual ceremonies. It must be present in every social media post, in every choice of words in the digital space, and in every action that strengthens national unity. Only with collective vigilance against digital provocation and disinformation will the spirit of unity pledged 97 years ago remain alive and relevant in the modern era. (*)
Social Issues Researcher