By: Dodik Prasetyo) *
Social media is a new means of interaction that cannot be separated from the life of society. However, the threat of spreading radicalism lurks in social media users as many terrorists learn from the internet.
The rapid development of social media in Indonesia is certainly inevitable, seen from the survey results of the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII), Active Internet Users in 2015 in Indonesia were 88.1 million of the total population of Indonesia of 252.4 million and active users using social media as much as 87.4%.
Of course the data illustrates a situation that many Indonesian people are literate in IT and use social media on a daily basis, this is what is used by certain groups such as radical groups that use social media to deliver propaganda.
Meanwhile, Detachment 88 anti-terror managed to secure AT in Jembrana Bai, four weeks ago. AT is called intense communication with Syahrial Alamsyah alias Abu Rara, who was the stabbing perpetrator of the former Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security in Banten.
AT was not captured alone. His son ZAI, who was only 14 years old, was also ambushed by the police. Both of them allegedly planned a tetor action in the Bali region. From the hands of the father and son, the police seized bows, nuts, bolts and other components that were allegedly used as bomb material.
ZAI is not the only teenager exposed to radicalism. A few months earlier, the police also succeeded in arresting YM alias Kautsar, an 18-year-old teenager in Rawalumbu, Bekasi. Kautsar, who is also a karate athlete, was recruited by the amir of the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) Bekasi, EY alias Rafli, also been recruited since he was in school at a state high school.
The arrest for the sake of arrest of course adds to the long list of rows of adolescents involved in acts of terror. Bombings in Surabaya in May 2018 or the Oikumene Church bomb, Samarinda, East Kalimantan in 2016 were also found to involve teenagers. The two perpetrators in Samarinda are still 16 years and 17 years old. At a young age they have a role as bomb makers.
Hasibullah Satrawi who is a terrorism researcher said that the actions of these young people were partly due to following parents who were first exposed to extremism. This happened in the case of 2 church bombs in Surabaya.
The children who were actively involved in the terrorist act, Hasibulah said could be because the terrorist group is currently experiencing ‘millennialisation’. Terrorist groups easily infiltrate a variety of propaganda that can attract internet users and social media.
It is suspected that social media has influence in terrorist networks. They use social media to stop, recruit, influence and invite teenagers. Not only that the provision of bombing material was also carried out through social media channels.
So that the use of social media also makes the process of radicalization much more massive and faster. Formerly a teenager in order to have a significant role in a terror group requires no short time. Those who are interested in violent teachings do not necessarily meet the appropriate groups.
Since the ISIS Era, the process of radicalism has changed, which previously went through the downfall camps, now mostly through the internet media. As if social media became an incubator of radicalism, then the trend of radicalism became easier and faster.
These young people get extreme understanding wrapped in propaganda in the form of anxiety narratives. The narration raises the perception of a threat that the world will deteriorate.
To make ‘improvements’ in the world, radical groups provide roles for young people with sentences. If you want to be a good person, you have to have a contribution.
The processes of discussion on social media are certainly inseparable from the monitoring of radical groups. Those who are consistently involved in discussions will be invited to more exclusive groups through the WhatsApp or Telegram application.
In dealing with this, of course the process of deradicalization must involve parents, because if not then they will look for a new family, and what is difficult is if the parents are radical first.
Concretely, we must be aware of the black propaganda that is widely written in cyberspace through misleading writings that twist holy verses and then make it justification in their messages and activities. Especially if there is writing that invites to hate other groups.
) * The author is a social political observer
