By: Gilang Aditya *
Social media is currently one of the sources of massive information dissemination that is very difficult to control. Everyone who has a smart phone will almost all have social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Everyone has the power to choose information, read or see, to share with others. Unfortunately the culture of netizens today still tends to be less careful in sorting and trusting news or information. The habit of commenting on all sources without a clear source makes the debate quite disturbing on social media. The nuance of the 2019 Ramadhan is quite special because it coincides with the election. A hot political atmosphere, of course, becomes a daily meal for the people. Especially with monotonous information both from mass media and online media. In this month of Ramadan, it can be the right moment for you to be more wise and calm in facing the current social media life. Here are some tips for this year’s Ramadhan to be even more calm even though in the midst of a lively election:
1. Smart Look at News Sources
You can certainly find lots of news and information. Mass media channels place elections as a dish with a very bulging portion. While in the digital world, the distribution of news and writings is quite massive both through the web, social media, and conversation groups. But you need to realize and know that not all available news or information is valid and correct information.
Valid news accounts are usually issued by media that are already credible. Usually for sites in Indonesia have a .id or .com domain. But that also does not guarantee the credibility of news sources. At least the mass media accounts that are quite familiar may be a reliable reference.
Sites with the domain blogspot.com or .wordpress are free sites that many people can make. The information available there is certainly not credible and truthful. It’s the same as reading posts in groups of conversations that don’t have a clear source. Inaccurate and inaccurate information will certainly trigger misunderstandings and even make war comments that are not really needed
2. Be careful on Youtube
Youtube is one of the social audio-visual media that can be accessed by anyone. You also need to know that anyone has the right to send the video he made. You certainly will find many choices of content when opening youtube. Either news or information or entertainment. Again, not all news or videos on YouTube are the right news because anyone can add the video.
Like the point above, you certainly have to see the source or sender of the video. Many social media users are easily provoked by content titles that lead to provocation. Even though the contents are often written in audio from google voice. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the source of the news delivered.
3. Don’t Give Any Comment
Of course it is very annoying if you currently see the comment columns on your timeline or your social media home page filled with people who comment on certain news or opinions from an account. The pros and cons of a view or content has become a very common thing found in various comment columns on social media. But if we realize further, the debate in the comments column will be a waste because it is often not related to the topic being discussed. In the post-election period, the bipolarity of the two presidential candidate camps became very strong. But it will be in vain when the discussion only occurs in the comments column which only becomes garbage without any action
Besides giving comments, it must also be ethical. Starting from the selection of words, how to start and end opinions, and certainly must match the main contest about what was commented on. It is very important for you to pay attention because currently with the Information and Electronic Transaction Law (ITE) you can be subjected to criminal acts related to the comments you give.
Don’t look at this eye because even if you don’t display your original identity or account in the comment, the existence of technology can find where you access the data. Therefore, it is wise to comment so as not to trigger these long and less important issues.
* The author is a Social Media Activist