The Community Plays an Important Role in Preventing the Spread of Hoaxes Ahead of the Regional Elections
By: Claudia Aritonang*
Ahead of the 2024 regional elections, Indonesian people must increase their awareness of hoaxes which are increasingly circulating in various media, especially social media. The phenomenon of spreading false information is not new in political contestation, but its impact is increasingly worrying as information and communication technology becomes more sophisticated. Hoaxes can damage the democratic order, mislead voters, and create polarization among people who should be united in their differences in political views.
Hoaxes in the context of regional elections are often spread by parties who have certain interests to discredit opposing candidates or raise the image of the candidates they support. This dirty strategy includes various forms, ranging from fake news that targets candidates’ personalities, manipulation of photos and videos, to baseless claims intended to raise doubt and distrust in the democratic process itself. In fact, a healthy and fair democratic process should be based on facts and rational arguments, not lies and manipulation.
In order to prevent the spread of hoax information ahead of the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Head Election, the Batang Police, Central Java has intensified cyber patrols on social media. Head of the Batang Police Criminal and Investigation Unit, AKP Imam Muhtadi, emphasized that this patrol was a manifestation of the National Police’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the democratic process. Every result of the cyber patrol will be reported to the relevant leadership to determine whether the news contains false narratives or not.
The public is also asked to be smarter in responding to the issues circulating ahead of the 2024 regional elections in November. The public must be wise and not easily provoked by news that spreads freely, especially on social media. The head of the green community group in West Java, Didu Sardu, emphasized that the community must work together to alert each other if there is strange information circulating in their environment. Didu emphasized that it is important for people to remind each other, especially if the information circulating can cause division.
Head of the Buleleng Diskominfosantik, Ketut Suwarmawan, emphasized that social media is like a double-edged sword. The public is expected to be wiser in using social media, especially when responding to information. Don’t just read the title and then immediately share the information. First confirm the truth, this is important to break the chain of spreading hoaxes which are consumed in chains by the public. As a form of prevention, his party has carried out various outreach activities to emphasize the importance of filtering before sharing. Apart from that, his party also publishes regularly via official social media channels regarding various hoax information circulating on social media.
Community figures and religious leaders also have a big influence in shaping public opinion and can be agents of change in fighting the spread of hoaxes. By providing the public with a correct understanding of the dangers of hoaxes and the importance of maintaining information integrity, these figures can help create a healthier and more conducive environment for the implementation of regional elections.
Ahead of the 2024 regional elections, we all have an important role in maintaining the quality of democracy in Indonesia. Hoaxes are a common enemy that we must fight with intelligent and effective methods. By increasing digital literacy, strengthening regulations, and encouraging active community participation in fighting the spread of hoaxes, we can create cleaner, fairer and more democratic regional elections. Only in this way can we ensure that the people’s voice is truly represented and that the democratic process operates in accordance with the principles we uphold.
*The author is a Political Science student from North Sumatra
