The North Sumatra Regional Police Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation (Ditreskrimsus Polda Sumut) and North Sumatra Muhammadiyah University (UMSU) organized a talk show titled “Ethics in Social Media” at the campus auditorium on Captain Mukhtar Basri Street, Medan, on Friday, June 16.
The talk show, featuring speakers from various disciplines, garnered the attention of hundreds of students from various faculties. The event was officially opened by Deputy Director of Special Criminal Investigation, AKBP Dani Kurniawan.
The four speakers included AKP Viktor RP Pasaribu SH.MH, Chief of Subdivision V/Cyber Crime at Ditreskrimsus Poldasu, Dr. Ribut Priadi M.Ikom, Head of Public Relations Bureau and communication science lecturer, and Dr. Alpi Sahari SH.M.Hum, criminal law lecturer at UMSU, along with Medan content creator/stand-up comedian Wanda-Wando.
UMSU Vice Rector I, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Arifin MHum, emphasized the positive and negative aspects of social media at the beginning of the event. He highlighted the need for continuous education to ensure that social media users exhibit ethics, avoid being overly emotional, and remain considerate. “While in the past it was ‘your words are your tiger,’ now it’s ‘your finger pointing is your tiger,'” Arifin stated.
With Indonesia having one of the highest numbers of active internet and social media users in the world, amounting to 167 million, the importance of good ethics should be stressed.
Kombes Pol Dr. Teddy Jhon S Marbun SH.M.Hum, head of Ditreskrimsus Polda Sumut, conveyed in his speech, delivered by Deputy Director of Criminal Investigation, AKBP Dani Kurniawan SH.S.IK, that technological advancements have facilitated communication among the public.
Based on data from the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJI), there were 167 million active social media users in Indonesia as of January 2023. According to the Digital Civility Index (DCI) report by Microsoft, Indonesian netizens are perceived as among the least polite in Southeast Asia. The digital space in Indonesia is flooded with hoaxes, harassment, hatred, and discrimination.
Cross-Check Before Spreading Information
Legal expert Dr. Alpi Sahri SH MHum from UMSU’s Postgraduate Program explained the legal perspective of social media. He emphasized that social media can either uplift or degrade its users. Therefore, it’s important to use social media responsibly: convey accurate information and avoid sharing falsehoods. Alpi Sahri, who served as an expert witness in the Fredi Sambo case, highlighted the need to cross-check information before posting or sharing it, as spreading false information leaves a permanent digital trail.
Alpi Sahri openly discussed criminal offenses related to social media misuse, particularly those involving morality (Article 27 paragraph 1), defamation and slander (Article 27 paragraph 3), and fraud (Article 28 paragraph 1). He also covered Article 28 paragraph 2, which pertains to disseminating information aimed at inciting hatred or hostility based on ethnicity, religion, race, or group.
Hoax Content Leads to Social Disasters
Communication expert Dr. Ribut Priadi M.Ikom from UMSU discussed the topic “Social Media and Social Order Change.” He expressed concerns about the inundation of social media with false, hateful, and divisive content, particularly how this affects children. Ribut Priadi pointed out that children today are raised and influenced by technology through social media, often prioritizing viral status over truthfulness. Children have even lost the ability to distinguish between virtual reality and actual reality.
Ribut Priadi highlighted the adverse effects of today’s social media landscape, including increased social conflicts, widening social inequalities, new forms of criminalization, hoaxes, and threats. Social media has led to a significant “social disaster,” characterized by a decline in societal values and norms, loss of trust, rising criminal rates, fragile family bonds, increased divorce rates, and a surge in fatherless births. Ribut stressed the need for collective awareness and technological literacy to maximize social capital.
The 77th Bayangkara Anniversary talk show event also featured the presence of well-known content creator Wanda-Wando from Medan.
