By: Lintang Perwira *)
Jakarta, CIDISS – Terrorism is an unlimited transnational crime. To deal with it must be done seriously by all people. Indonesian government has put up enough in breaking the chain of terrorist networks. Until now, these efforts have been able to localize the strength of the domestic to the international network. However, the changes in the strategic environment both nationally and internationally as well as advances in technology and the information that was so tight makes the pattern dynamics of terrorism changed.
The pattern of transnational terrorism is increasingly finding its momentum when the information technology such as the Internet became a popular means of communication in society. With the technologies development, terrorist groups take advantage of cyberspace to spread radical ideology, as well as to recruit new members. Even nn 1988 Osama has established media department within its organizational structure. The media presence of the Internet has made it increasingly complex battlefield. Internet exploited by terrorist groups as counter text of the mainstream media.
Beside web, social media has also become quite an effective tool for radical terrorism as an instrument of propaganda, network development, and recruitment of foreign country membership. ISIS become a single model of the terrorist movement that is intelligent and eloquent use of advances in technology and information, especially social media as a propaganda tool and membership recruitment. However, the problem is not all of the public aware of the dangers of propaganda groups. Then the question arises, how to fight cyber radicalism without harming the user? What Benchmark the public can use to distinguish between journalists and propagandists – spreader radicalism?
In the context of academic studies, media literacy can be used as an agent against cyber radicalism. Media literacy contains three main aspects. First, knowledge access the internet. At least, people who will access the Internet already knows what he’ll find. Knowledge helps accessed in translating the news he received, so it is likely to be small misunderstanding.
The second is a skill, it is associated with how and to what someone else is accessing the Internet. Do the people looking for news from news sources are reliable or from a source that is not clear validity. The last aspect in media literacy effective for use against radicalism is about attitude. The main thing on the news is the position taken by the public after receiving information from the Internet, whether to accept it as a truth or reject as contrary to sanity.
Apparently, it is not too late if we currently offer the majority of the flow of radicalism in this virtual world. Be the smart, do not easily influenced by the propaganda of terrorism. Let us use the internet as a science to build Indonesia. [LP]
*) CIDISS Contributor
