By: Dika Baskoro) *
The hoax phenomenon is a historical reality. He was born together with the birth of the era of freedom of information media. However, its existence often destroys the order of society. Therefore, the phenomenon of hoaxes is placed in a tension between media idealism and media ethics.
Mass communication media, both print and online media, are always evolving to keep pace with the times and technological advancements. The role of the media in the dissemination of a news will greatly influence the mindset of the community and the socio-economic conditions in a region. Therefore, it is very important for a media to disseminate facts or truths in the news that will be disseminated.
According to The Contemporary English – Indonesian Dictonary, interpreting hoaxes as jokes, banter, joking, making fun. The Oxford Thesaurus American Edition, means deception – deception or lelucuon. English – Indonesian dictionary written by John Echols and Hasan Shadily, interpreting hoaxes as banter, hoaxes, and deception. The Large Dictionary of Indonesian Language does not use the word hoax, but he uses words that are close to the meaning of the hoax above, namely: custom news made for a specific purpose; or a sensation that was too raised to attract people’s attention.
The journey of democracy in Indonesia is realized or not in a condition threatened by irresponsible reporting. The spread of hoaxes has increasingly bloomed since the birth of social media so that hoaxes suddenly became part of the political rotten game. In the 2019 Election political contestation, there seems to be an alleged use of hoaxes as a political strategy. It is called a serious threat because the maker of false news is often intended to delegitimize the ongoing election process in order to gain power.
Although such a phenomenon is not a typical Indonesian phenomenon because other countries, such as the United States and Brazil, also face the circulation of hoaxes in their political contestation, the effort and struggle to eradicate hoaxes should not be “loose”. We all understand that the hoax industry is also very aware that false information accompanied by false data can be a powerful tool for creating public perception.
The goal is of course to gain support and voice in political contestation. But in a political atmosphere like today, the flow of hoaxes that are increasingly heavy on social media has the potential to sharpen polarization and division in society, aka the potential to divide citizens in extreme ways based on political choice. That way, hoaxes that are continuously produced on social media have the potential to undermine the integrity of the nation. This is the end of the lie game that we have to fear.
Furthermore, in addition to herding public perception, hoaxes can also be played strategically by certain groups who want Indonesia to remain covered in instability. Such groups are very anxious when they see Indonesia peacefully. They enjoy various opportunities behind the chaos of information in public spaces. In a nation as diverse as Indonesia, the political atmosphere ahead of the presidential election is boiling. The risk is also very strategic, namely the vulnerability of social cohesion that can impact on the disintegration of the nation. The group often plays local issues to be “fried” at the national level. They are looking for the points of failure of the governments in power in various parts of the region, then blown up, polished with fictitious data and facts, given hate narratives and then covered with fearful narratives, then spread in national public spaces.
As a result, small things suddenly became big, viral, shared by many people, and then thickened mutual resentment between the two camps of political supporters. If it is already at the level of mutual hatred and no appropriate mitigation instruments are found, just waiting for the time to “break” and “explode”. Therefore, the game is dangerous by using lies narratives, hate narratives, and fear narratives must be mitigated in such a way.
Mass media is one of the fourth pillars for the realization of democracy in Indonesia. They have a very big responsibility about the spread of hoax news. This means that the instrument is an easy and effective way to fight or grow hoaxes. It is time for the government to firmly unite the movements of the media managers to become the spearhead against this negative news. It should be possible if these media want to unite.
It’s just that in reality it must be admitted that the competition between these media businesses is very tight. In fact, it is very possible that there is a business community that becomes a facilitator to foster the spirit of spreading the hoax news. Solely for his business interests. For example, with talk shows that invite negative opposition, it will become a role model for Indonesian people to watch and imitate it raw.
Moreover, people who have very low education are not even educated. News of bad news will be eaten and swallowed by them.
) * The author is an activist at the Student Press House
