Surfing the Hoaxes Wave Fabrication During the Pandemic Period in Indonesia

Abstract

The hoax has evolved into a formidable foe in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic that is sweeping the globe. Indonesia is no different. Hoaxes not only cause public distrust but also jeopardize important government strategies to combat the disease threat currently sweeping the world. The goal of this study is to learn about the various types of hoaxes produced and spread by various parties in Indonesia, as well as how they use social media to influence Indonesian society. This study examined 145 hoax information during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the second half of 2021, between August 1 and December 11, 2021. According to the findings, hoaxes that occurred in Indonesia during the second half of 2021 can be classified into four broad categories: issues related to Covid19, Politics, Covid-19 Treatment, and abroad. In terms of distribution media, most hoaxes are spread via Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter. While fabricated content is the most common type of content, it is followed by manipulated content and misleading content. As a result, the Indonesian government has no light homework to do because the creation and dissemination of false content serves a purpose. The fact that the majority of the content is fabricated indicates that certain parties are ‘surfing’ through the hoax that was created.