Communication, Culture, and Governance in Asia| Truth, Not Fear: Countering False Information in a Conflict

Authors

  • Abdul Rohman Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University
  • Peng Hwa Ang Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Keywords:

fake news, false information, conflict, Indonesia, counteracting strategy, collective identity

Abstract

False information has always been used as a weapon in conflicts. It exacerbates existent tribalism and polarizations in social, political, and cultural milieus. This case study of a civil conflict in Ambon, Indonesia, shows how individuals on both sides of the conflict countered such false information. The study found that having a small but diverse network of friends allowed for crowdsourcing information to counter the falsehoods; information that promulgated hatred was treated with circumspection. A collective identity reenergized the Ambonese’s civic spirit, seeding a common goal to keep Ambon safe. The finding suggests that it may be possible to counter false information by promoting interactions with diverse groups, fostering a civic spirit, building a collective identity, and taming individual biases.

Author Biographies

Abdul Rohman, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University

Abdul Rohman is a lecturer in the School of Communication and Design, RMIT University Ha Noi, Viet Nam. He is interested in researching the social impact of new media on society, social change and social movements, and peace and conflict in Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia. 

Peng Hwa Ang, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Ang Peng Hwa is Professor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is President-Elect of the International Communication Association, the first Asian to be so elected and will be President of the ICA after June 2016. His research interests lie in media law and policy and he has consulted on the subject for the governments of Singapore, Thailand and Bhutan. He is the author of Ordering Chaos: Regulating the Internet (Thomson, 2005), which argues that the internet can be, is being and should be regulated. He was a member of 40-strong Working Group on Internet Governance that was appointed by then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to prepare a report for the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society. Most recently, he spent a year on sabbatical in Ahmedabad, India, to help start the doctoral-equivalent programme at the Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad.

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Published

2019-09-14

Issue

Vol. 13 (2019)

Section

Special Sections

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