"One of the challenges we face is that today, we are witnessing technological advances without proper technology literacy, or the ability to comprehend the technology itself," she said.
"I see this as a reminder for all of us, so that we can prepare ourselves by spreading words on this issue to our close ones to better understand what is currently happening," she added.
She made the statement at the 148th edition of the Denpasar 12 Discussion Forum, themed “Anticipating Hoaxes during Election Year,” which was accessed on the Rerie Lestari Moerdijat YouTube channel from Jakarta on Wednesday.
The circulation of hoaxes, she said, will gain intensity during the election year. As elections approach, cyberspace will fill up with misinformation, which is misleading and manipulative in nature and provided deliberately by certain parties to divert public opinion, she added.
Compared to the 2014 Pemilu, more parties have now started to use hoaxes to ensure that certain election participants come out as victors, Moerdijat noted.
Hence, the contest for the 2024 Pemilu has started to look increasingly “unhealthy,” she said.
"Compared to the 2014 (election), the battle and war for the upcoming election have become increasingly ‘unhealthy,’ not properly exercised, (and) that, in turn, may lead to unwanted events that we might regret," the politician pointed out.Several speakers also joined the forum on Wednesday, such as director general of public information and communication at the Communication and Information Ministry, Usman Kansong; electoral law lecturer at the Law Faculty of the University of Indonesia, Titi Anggraini; and political communication expert from Airlangga University, Suko Widodo.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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