A video is never really stale on social media. As long as it is still stored, it can reappear at any time. Just change the caption, add a narrative that makes people angry or afraid, then press the upload button.
Later, the pattern was seen again. Old demonstration footage circulated and was narrated as if it described the current situation in Indonesia. Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago called the video a hoax. The National Police is investigating the spread because the footage came from last year's action.
The problem is not just a wrong date. The images in the video can be authentic. The masses have indeed taken to the streets. The riots may have actually happened. However, when old footage is presented as today's events, the fact of losing context and turning into misleading information.
The original video is quite removed from its time and place, then given a new story. For people who see it while passing by on the phone screen, a difference of one year can disappear in a matter of seconds.
Polda Metro Jaya said that videos of demonstrations one or two years ago had indeed been re-uploaded. Throughout July and August, the police said they had taken down 30 content. From June to August, 28 social media activists with 37 accounts were handled. Ten people were investigated, while the other 18 received warnings and education.
Evident Institute monitored the "Grey August" issue through Reportica from July 29 to August 5, 2026. Director of the Evident Institute Community Algooth Putranto said there were 154 public conversations that generated about 1.4 million interactions from about 130 identified accounts.
Algooth assessed that the pattern indicates coordinated amplification. The conversation, which only numbered two on July 31, jumped to 33 the next day and 56 on August 2.
But that's just an indication. The findings have not proved who moved it or what its purpose was.
Negative sentiment reached 64.3 percent. Anger was recorded at 18.1 percent and fear at 16.1 percent.
Anger and fear are contagious. Thumbs up. Videos are shared. Chat groups are crowded. Not everyone has had time to ask if what they saw really happened today.
Then there is the issue of high fences at a number of malls and office buildings.
The payment is there. DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung admitted that the installation may have been triggered by concerns about security disruptions such as August 2025. However, he also said that excessive concerns were not good.
Meanwhile, from the business world, the Chairman of Apindo Shinta Widjaja Kamdani said not all malls had installed fences and Apindo had not received any special reports on security issues.
"We don't have any concerns that everyone has to fence or from that situation. No," said Shinta.
The General Chair of Hippindo Budihardjo Iduansjah also said that the fence was only installed by certain mall groups. According to Budihardjo, the installation is related to traffic management for visitors and internal interests.
The fence is original. There have been concerns. But the fence does not automatically become proof that riots will occur.
However. when the photo of the fence is juxtaposed with old demonstration videos, then wrapped in a narrative about the coming chaos, the public can get a different story from the original facts.
Lies are not always made from something that is completely false. Even true facts can produce a false story when the context is cut, the relationship between facts is forced, and the narrative is repeated constantly.
Psychology recognizes this phenomenon as the illusory truth effect or the false truth effect. Simply put, information that we hear or see repeatedly tends to feel more true.
Lynn Hasher, David Goldstein, and Thomas Toppino showed this effect in a study published in 1977 in the Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior. They found that judgments of truth increased with repeated statements, whether the statements were true or false.
False information does not become true just because it is repeated. But if it is repeated, it can feel right.
Social media makes that mechanism work much faster. A video appears once, people may hesitate. Then it appears again from a different account, enters WhatsApp, then appears on X, TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. After seeing it many times, something that was strange starts to feel familiar.
This is where frequency comes into play to shape perception.
Therefore, the pattern of massive amplification is worth paying attention to. But who is behind it and what is its purpose still has to be proven, not guessed.
The National Police is now investigating the spread of old demonstration videos. National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo reminded the public not to spread information that is not in accordance with facts. If there is a criminal element, the spreader can be processed according to law.
But before the matter reaches the police, there is one thing that is closer to us. Namely the thumb.
Before sharing a video, look at the date. Before drawing conclusions from a mall fence photo, look for the cause. Before forwarding news that makes you angry or afraid, check the original source.
Once the share button is pressed, we are no longer just readers. We become spreaders.
In the midst of information flows like now, lies do not always win because it is more reasonable. Sometimes it just comes more often.
Before the thumbs are moved, one simple question is worth asking. Is this really happening now?
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
