By: Agus Oloan Naibaho
The population of Indonesia in 2019 is predicted to be around 267 million people, while internet users number 171.17 million people or around 64.8 percent of the total population of Indonesia has been connected to the internet. That is, the people of Indonesia are still the breadbasket of users of the most social media users. Moreover, based on the We Are Social survey in 2017, 18 percent of social media users are 13 to 17 years old, who are students.
In fact, from Kompas.com news sources, teenagers are very vulnerable to becoming perpetrators of the spread of hoaks or false news in the virtual universe. Especially in the days leading up to the presidential election and post-presidential election yesterday, high tension resulted in a hoax news war on social media. And some of the perpetrators of hoaks that were captured by the police turned out to still be students. Really very alarming.
Allegedly teenagers easily believe in hoaks because young people do tend to be emotional. In addition, the fact that Indonesian people’s low interest in reading is a factor in the ease of a sensational news that they immediately spread without being read in detail what the news content is.
This fact is the driving force for the government, especially the Ministry of Education and Culture to re-enter ICT or Informatics subjects into the 2013 Curriculum. The need to produce “Advanced Indonesian Human Resources”, such as the theme of the 74th Birthday of the Republic of Indonesia must be realized with resources humans who are not trapped by hoax news and are spreading these lies.
Informatics, is a substitute subject for ICT and is given to students from junior high to high school level and is now only in the testing phase in several schools, because not all of the archipelago has been connected to the internet. So while waiting for the realization of equitable infrastructure, the new Informatics subjects are the implementation phase.
So why is Informatics subject very important and relevant in realizing “Advanced Indonesian Advanced HR”? What are the benefits of Informatics subject in eradicating the hoax towards the success of national development with the capital of national unity and unity?
The answer is clearly very able, because by studying informatics since junior high school, our young generation is prepared to face the rapid technological development by learning STEM-C (Science, Technology Engineering Mathematics and Computational Thingking). That is, students are taught from an early age to think critically, and begin to think computerized in a structured and algritic way.
High-level thinking, digesting information with broad thinking, learning to get accustomed to reading in a structured way, digesting information using heart and logic, reducing emotions and using more thought in solving problems is an important thing that is expected after learning Informatics.
“So far, in terms of science, ICT has not been distributed and is clearly described to students. Therefore we are studying specifically from the science so that it is better, “explained the Head of the Center for Curriculum and Book (Puskurbuk) Ministry of Education and Culture Awaluddin Tjalla when contacted by Republika.co.id, (5/8) explaining about Informatics as a new lesson which is useful to ward off hoaks news.
The Role of Informatics Against Hoaks
Hoaks are the biggest threat to the integrity of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia. Pancasila democracy which guarantees freedom for all its citizens in the opinion is the biggest threat, because it can be misinterpreted to be free to give false information though. And that is proven by the spread of content and information that is designed almost 100 percent true, even though it is a hoax alias hoax news.
Spreading hoax news through social media is the biggest problem in this country. There are indeed many examples of hoaks being spread to the beginning of hatred that led to riots. Therefore it has become our role to eradicate hoaks in our own way.
As a teacher of Informatics, I am still optimistic that today’s young generation will not easily spread hoax news, because the younger generation has been prepared to think computational. That is, think creatively and critically in solving problems with the concept of an algorithm.
Filter news or information or pictures before sharing, wisely using social media is a good invitation to eradicate hoax or lies.
Medan, August 22, 2019