Semarang (10/01) – The spread of false news or hoaxes has become one of the biggest challenges in maintaining the quality of democracy, especially in the digital era. As the 2024 Regional Head Elections approach, the threat of disinformation is increasing with the widespread use of social media. Therefore, joint efforts to combat the spread of hoaxes are crucial to ensure fair and credible elections.

As part of its initiative to combat disinformation, TikTok Goes to Campus: Combating Disinformation in the 2024 Regional Elections was held on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, at the Auditorium of Building A, 3rd Floor, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), Universitas Diponegoro (Undip), Semarang. This event was a form of collaboration between TikTok and various parties to address the spread of false information on social media, especially in the run-up to the 2024 Regional Elections. Semarang became the third city in this series of events, after Jakarta and Bandung.

The event was attended by several important figures, including the Chairman of the Central Java Supervisory Board for Elections (Bawaslu), Muhammad Amin; the Vice Rector IV for Research, Innovation, and Cooperation at Universitas Diponegoro, Wijayanto, S.IP., M.Si., Ph.D.; the Dean of FISIP Undip, Dr. Drs. Teguh Yuwono, M.Pol.Admin; the Head of the Public Opinion Division of the Central Java Communication and Informatics Service, Danang Tri Hermawan, S.E., Ak., M.A.P.; the Editor-in-Chief of Tirto.id, Rachmadin Ismail; as well as representatives from TikTok Indonesia, Suryo Hapsoro, and content creator, Ryee. Additionally, the event marked the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tirto.id and Undip.

In his video message, Faris Mufid, Public Policy & Government Relations TikTok Indonesia, expressed his appreciation for the collaboration with various parties, including the Ministry of Communication and Informatics and Bawaslu, in combating disinformation. “We all have the same goal, which is to empower young people, especially students, to work together to combat disinformation that can undermine the democratic process in the 2024 Regional Elections,” he said.

The Dean of FISIP Undip, Dr. Drs. Teguh Yuwono, M.Pol.Admin, also expressed his appreciation to TikTok for this initiative. He stated that TikTok was a communication platform that he often used to greet his more than 6,000 students every day. “TikTok is the communication media that I use most often, compared to others like Instagram and websites,” he said. Dr. Teguh also hoped that this event would be beneficial for students in combating hoaxes and disinformation.

The Vice Rector IV of Universitas Diponegoro, Wijayanto, Ph.D., in his speech, highlighted the importance of awareness of the impact of disinformation. He referred to the documentary film The Great Hacks which depicted the scandal of data manipulation in the 2016 US presidential election and Brexit. “Disinformation is now a bigger challenge than climate change. Because of disinformation, people do not believe in climate change,” he emphasized.

The Chairman of the Central Java Bawaslu, Muhammad Amin, highlighted the potential for the spread of hoaxes in the 2024 Regional Elections that utilize platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. These hoaxes include the manipulation of facts related to candidates and the election process, which can influence public opinion. Bawaslu has formed a special team to monitor content on social media and work with the community and relevant institutions to combat false information.

Dr. Dra. Fitriyah, M.A., a lecturer from the Department of Politics and Government Studies FISIP Universitas Diponegoro, further explained that hoaxes in elections have the potential to worsen polarization and reduce the quality of political information, which can trigger social conflict, especially in regional elections. She emphasized that the spread of hoaxes can strengthen public distrust of institutions and the democratic process.

The event concluded with a panel discussion involving students. They were very enthusiastic in asking various questions, such as about the situation of the spread of hoaxes in Central Java ahead of the 2024 Regional Elections and how to create educational content related to elections that can help combat disinformation.

The TikTok Goes to Campus event reaffirms the importance of cross-sector collaboration in combating disinformation, especially in the crucial period leading up to the 2024 Regional Elections.

Contributor:

Nur Inayah