By: Safira Tri Ningsih )*
Social media and the internet in this era are very vulnerable to the spread of fake news or hoaxes, especially in a political year like today. Because when the spread of hoaxes related to the 2024 Election continues to occur, it will also damage the harmony and peace in the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
The democratic party in the form of political contestation, namely General Elections (Elections) will indeed be held in Indonesia soon, namely in 2024. Of course, it cannot be denied that with the rapid growth and development of digital technology today, social media and the internet have indeed become an important foundation in organizing 5 (five) annual events in this country.
The main thing is, of course the election participants use social media and the internet as their foundation in terms of continuing to increase socialization and promoting campaigns for their prospective leaders so they can get sympathizers from the public and so they can gain votes from the public.
Precisely with the increasingly massive development of digital space nowadays, it also has a negative impact that accompanies it, namely that society should be much wiser in responding to the use of social media, especially in political years with the increasingly heated contestation of political participants. like right now.
How could it not be, because even through social media and the internet, everyone is very free to voice their opinions or arguments along with their narratives, so that it can also be said that every social media user nowadays, each of them has their own media personally even without parties who are able to control and filter the content that is widespread in it.
With the extraordinary freedom to create content on social media, all kinds of information can very easily be found in the digital space. It doesn’t matter whether the issue or content that is presented is in the form of content that is true and real according to the situation on the ground based on the facts that have occurred, or for example the content is actually an issue or news that is fake and is often called a hoax.
In fact, sometimes the hoax news is often framed in such a way that it is made into a possible weapon and it seems as if it makes people who are not wise enough when using social media or surfing the virtual world, to be easily influenced and think that the news they get is fake news. facts that actually happened.
Even though the reality is that there is a digital space that is growing and developing very rapidly as it is today, making this a vehicle for election participants to carry out campaigns, and not a few also by certain elements or by fanatical supporters who actually use it. as a stage with the aim of carrying out attacks on other candidates.
For this reason, it is indeed very important that efforts be made to prevent the use of social media and the internet as positive things by the community, and prevent the spread of negative things. Regarding this matter, the Kendal Regency Communication and Information Service (Diskominfo) continues to work to collaborate with several other parties such as social media activists (medsos) and a number of community leaders to be able to continue to remind the public.
Regarding efforts to continue to promote public outreach so that people can avoid the threat of how dangerous the spread of hoax news is and also so that people can further increase their self-awareness and be wise in surfing social media and the internet, Head of IKP Diskominfo Kendal, Ahmad Syarul Falah explained that of course this series of outreach is also able to increase the knowledge, attitude and behavior of the community in using social media.
In particular, now in Indonesia itself there are also many sets of laws and regulations regarding information and information technology and electronic transactions that strictly regulate, so that indeed people should be much wiser in surfing in the digital space.
Not only being able to increase people’s knowledge and attitudes on social media, but a series of forms of outreach are indeed very important to continue to intensify because they are also able to increase the real participation and contribution of community leaders to the younger generation, especially those who are indeed media activists. social media in information dissemination.
Indeed, hoax news, especially in a political year like today, has proliferated a lot on social media. Reporting that is not in accordance with the facts is very vulnerable in the digital space regarding the 2024 Election, which may indeed continue to be echoed only for the interests of a handful of certain parties. Caution and also vigilance from the public is an effort to be able to fortify oneself and not easily believe anything that is obtained from the internet to continue to prevent the spread of hoax news about the election.
)* Contributor Daris Pustaka
