Being Critical And Wise Is Very Important In The Digital Age

Developing critical thinking is important in the digital era. (Between/Saptono/Spt/10)

JAKARTA The biggest challenge in the digital era is how to become a critical and wise person, especially in behavior in cyberspace. A critical attitude is needed to be able to analyze information objectively and rationally which can ultimately become a shield of the growing threat of fake news.

Meanwhile, a wise attitude is needed so that a person can take appropriate steps in responding to all information. This, according to the special staff of the Pancasila Ideological Development Agency (BPIP) Benny Susatyo, is very important in order to maintain harmony between others.

Indonesian people have always been famous for their hospitality. It's easy to give a smile even with the person he just saw, always maintains manners, is not individualistic, and likes to help.

"Don't let the image fade. It's time for our young generation to be aware so that things that are misleading don't get indoctrinated easily. You have to be critical and wise, especially in responding to social media," Benny told VOI on May 4, 2023.

It is undeniable that the behavior of the Indonesian people on social media has deviated far from the values of the nation. In fact, it tends to be uncivilized.

Microsoft through the results of the Digital Civility Index (DCI) in 2020 once tasted Indonesia as the country with the most disrespectful netizens than countries in Southeast Asia. Indonesian netizens are easy to share fake news, hate speech, and discrimination.

Look at the case of Muhammad Arsyad editing photos of President Jokowi and Megawati pornographic content and spreading them through social media in 2014. Or the case of researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Andi Pangeran Hasanuddin recently who made hate speech by threatening to kill one by one Islamic mass organizations who had different opinions.

Indicating that not only ordinary people, those who have intellectual intelligence are also very vulnerable to behavior that is not wise on social media.

That is why, Benny invites the public to make social media a means to develop themselves and advance human civilization, not as a forum for blaspheming and demeaning humans.

"It's time for us to be critical and wise to use social media as a tool to fight for the values of truth, the values of diversity, and keep the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia intact," he added.

Without a mass movement to campaign for critical and wise attitudes in cyberspace, Indonesia will not be able to take advantage of the demographic bonus. Instead of being a country with strong economic power in the world, Indonesia will actually decline and be scattered in 2045.

Growing a critical attitude must start from the level of education. Students must get the opportunity to be actively involved in the teaching and learning process. So that they are not only able to memorize but also understand the material provided by the teacher well.

Citing Siddin, Hamzah, and Ismail Suardi Wekke's explanation in the book 'Cognitive Learning Model for Student Critical Thought Skills', the first step in critical thinking is to focus on problems or identify problems well, find out the real problem and how to prove it.

The next step is to formulate arguments that support conclusions, find supporting evidence for reasons from a conclusion so that conclusions can be accepted or in other words the reasons given must be in accordance with conclusions.

If the reason put forward is correct, then it must be shown how strong the reason can be to support the conclusions made.

Situasi juga merupakan hal penting yang harus diperhatikan dalam berpkir kritis karena aktivitas berpikir juga dipengaruhi oleh lingkungan atau situasi yang ada di sekitar sehingga persukulan juga harus sesuai dengan situasi yang sebenarnya.

In addition to a critical mindset, the learning pattern can also help students create new things or innovate things that already exist to be better. At least, students are more confident and challenged to solve problems.

Of course, the role of teachers in this context is very vital. President Jokowi in his speech at the peak of the commemoration of the 77th Anniversary of the Teachers' Association of the Republic of Indonesia (PGRI) in Semarang on December 3, 2022 advised teachers to continue to renew their abilities in the teaching process with various new sciences and technologies that continue to emerge.

"The most important thing in teaching is how children have good critical power so that flexibility is needed, not rigid, they must be flexible because their knowledge develops very quickly," said Jokowi.

According to Jokowi, there are three main components in printing superior human resources. The first is mastery of science and technology, as well as improving technical skills that are relevant to the times.

Second, mentality and character. Polite, honest attitude, good character, caring for others, hard work, and able to work together. Third, physically and mentally healthy.

Kian ke depan, tantangan semakin berat. Hanya dengan pendidikan yang baik, anak-anak kita akan siap memasuki masa depan dengan kompetisi yang baik. Para guru menjadi fokus kita untuk mempersiap dan mempertukan anak-anak bangsa menghadapi tantangan dan mewujudkan keharapan kita," kata Jokowi.