The Importance Of Being Wise In Social Media To Fight Hoaxes During The COVID-19 Pandemic

JAKARTA - The use of social media has become mandatory for almost every individual. However, in the midst of the onslaught of seemingly limitless information, being wise in social media is something that must be held firmly by each individual in social life.

Member of Commission I of the DPR, Ahmad Rizki Sadig, said that the euphoria of using such sophisticated communication tools at this time made it so easy to report news that was not necessarily true. So that according to him, it could be yourself being a part of spreading fake news or hoaxes.

"We must be wise and responsible for what will be written on social media in a situation that is so fast, that we cannot get confused with the rules related to the ITE Law, which often will trap us in information technology issues such as when this, "said Ahmad Rizki in a webinar initiated by BAKTI Kominfo, Wednesday, March 9.

Ahmad Rizki added that his party in parliament is making regulations related to the use of information and communication technology. Commission I of the House of Representatives together with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and all relevant stakeholders are currently drafting a law on the protection of personal data which is one of the concerns regarding the development of information and communication technology.

"It is undeniable that internet users in Indonesia and in the world have jumped so drastically, both from last year and now. And I am sure that it will continue to increase in the coming years," he said.

Ahmad Rizki further emphasized that all people who use information technology should not only learn how to operate communication tools, but also try to understand the extent of the underlying rules regarding the effects of not using communication media in a good way.

"You also need to learn about the rules, so that you don't get blamed if something happens later," said Ahmad Rizki.

In the same place, Yuliandre Darwis, Chairman of the Expert Council of the Indonesian Communication Scholar Association (ISKI), said that in Indonesia, understanding of the use of technology is still weak. According to him, digital literacy is inversely proportional to internet users.

"Indonesia is ranked 60th out of 61 countries in the lowest literacy level," he said.

He added that this problem is increasingly worrying because there has not been equal opportunity to access domestic literacy materials. So, he said, there is the potential for 202 million internet users in the country to spread hoaxes on social media.

"Hoaxes are deliberately made to influence public opinion and are increasingly prevalent, because usually people like something exciting or viral without seeing the truth of the substance being discussed. There are 800,000 hoax spreading sites in Indonesia, this is not a small number that must be faced in the world of transformation. digital, "he explained.