General elections (Pemilu) are one of the important moments in a country’s democratic system. In Indonesia, elections are held regularly every few years to elect people’s representatives who will represent the interests of the community in the legislature and executive. However, every election there is a phenomenon of spreading fake news (hoaxes). Therefore, after the 2024 election, the public must remain alert to hoaxes and filter information to find out the truth.
Hoax is information that is deliberately disseminated with the intention of misleading or influencing public opinion. In the context of elections, hoaxes are often used to influence people’s views of certain candidates, incite hatred against certain groups, or even build negative opinions about the democratic system itself.
In today’s digital era, hoaxes have become a serious threat to democracy. Technology and social media allow hoaxes to spread quickly and widely, reaching thousands or even millions of people in a matter of seconds. Therefore, being aware of hoaxes after the election is a must for society.
Vice President Ma’ruf Amin said that the public should be careful about information that is not true or misleading, it is hoped that the public will not swallow all the information they receive either from social media or chain messages they receive and always filter the information and check the information they receive. obtained and tested for validity before being disseminated.
One way to fight hoaxes is to filter or sort the correct and accurate information. The public must be proactive in disseminating verified information to family, friends and co-workers. In this way, we can help prevent the spread of hoaxes which have the potential to cause chaos and instability in society. It is important to note that the election is the end of our struggle to fight hoaxes. In fact, after the election is the most crucial period in terms of spreading hoaxes.
After the election, the political situation may still be hot and there is no certainty about who will win the election. It is at this moment that hoaxes are often used by irresponsible parties to manipulate public opinion. Therefore, being alert to hoaxes after the election is very important. The public must realize that hoaxes can be used to destabilize political and social stability. We must not fall into the trap of hoaxes that aim to divide our unity and unity as a nation.
Commission I DPR RI, Meutya Viada Hafid said that in facing the election period the public must remain alert to the risk of spreading false information which could influence views and decisions in making choices. Apart from that, preventing hoaxes ahead of the elections is also an important step to ensure that the information circulating is accurate and valid. Not only before the election, after the election, the public is expected to remain alert to the spread of hoax information and continue to filter information before it is disseminated.
One of the ways we can be wary of hoaxes after the election is by developing our ability to carry out a critical review of all the information we receive. Before trusting and spreading news or information, make sure we verify the source first. Don’t be tempted by sensations or provocations from news whose truth has not been verified. Apart from that, we also need to involve ourselves in media literacy. Media literacy is the ability to understand, analyze and evaluate information obtained from various media. With media literacy, we will be better able to filter hoaxes and only disseminate true and accurate information.
Not only individuals, government institutions, mass media and community organizations also have an important role in fighting hoaxes after the election. The government must strengthen regulations and sanctions against hoax spreaders. The mass media must improve journalistic education and prioritize the principle of fact checking in every report. Community organizations must play an active role in disseminating correct information and fighting hoaxes and must learn from the experience of previous elections in implementing more proactive steps in fighting hoaxes. Democracy education and media literacy must be instilled from an early age in the younger generation so that they have the intelligence to filter information and are not easily influenced by hoaxes.
In facing the dangers of hoaxes after the election, we must not be silent and passive. We must unite and share true and accurate information to fight hoaxes. Only with joint efforts, we can build a society that is far from hoaxes and has better quality in responding to political and social developments in this country. Let’s be aware of hoaxes after the election and together prevent the spread of hoaxes in society. Elections are moments of democracy that must be respected and well protected. Let’s maintain the authenticity of information, contribute to sharing correct information, and be good agents of change for the progress of the nation.
