- 14/01/2021
- Category: Press Release
Yogyakarta, November 11, 2020 – The rise of public response after the passing of the Omnibus Law on October 5 seemed inseparable from social media. Social media became a forum that bridges dialogue between the two contesting camps regarding the Omnibus Law. However, social media can also be a medium to influence public opinion. In the 38th Difussion series, Center for Digital Society (CfDS) with Ismail Fahmi, Ph.D. as the Founder of Drone Emprit discussed trends that occurred in social media during the Omnibus Law period. This event was held on Monday (9/11) through the Google Meet channel and was live broadcasted on YouTube.
Omnibus Law Trends on Social Media
Ismail Fahmi opened his presentation by talking about the trend of Omnibus Law on social media through the Social Network Analysis (SNA) method. Initially, the public did not pay much attention to the Omnibus Law because it was assumed an elitist issue. Nevertheless, this trend immediately escalated after the passing of Omnibus Law, which led to students and activists actively voicing their resistance to the law. Rejection increased when a cluster of academics, NGOs, and even K-popers participated in expressing their opinion online.
Instead of growing more prominent, the voice of rejection of the Omnibus Law gradually disappeared after K-popers were no longer actively addressing the issue. The opposition has also become more alert after the arrest of high-ranking officials from the Coalition for Action to Save Indonesia (KAMI) through the Electronic Information and Transaction (EIT) Law. The rebuff narratives were then gradually replaced by those who supported, as reflected in the shift of hashtags that became trending topics on Twitter. The government also often uses social media to disseminate information and counter-narratives through videos, infographics, and lifting hashtags to become trends.
Social Media as a Means of Conveying Aspirations
Noticing the government’s incessant use of social media, this channel has proven to be an essential aspect of socializing the Omnibus Law and building counter-narratives against public rebuff. If done consistently, this will slowly shift public opinion. Ismail Fahmi added the purpose to influence public opinion, “Bot propaganda is to manipulate public opinion. You can filter the large accounts that can eliminate the bots are gone.” On the other hand, the downward trend of resistance from the opposition could be caused by the scattered and not integrated actions. Lack of resources for action in the long run and the lack of more compelling content formats such as memes, infographics, and videos could also be the reasons behind the downward trend to the Omnibus Law’s opposition.
Social media can effectively disseminate information and convey aspirations, especially when issues like the Omnibus Law become a public concern. Both the government and the opposition can use this channel to build dialectics through social media. Nevertheless, Ismail Fahmi informed the audience to be cautious with the disinformation that is still circulating so that it’s not misleading in responding to an issue.
Author: Christophorus Ariobumi
Editor: Ruth T. Simanjuntak
