Semarang — A 2026 study by Gita Aprinta Betseba from Universitas Semarang shows that fact-checking institutions played a central role in protecting democratic integrity during the 2024 election cycles in Indonesia and Taiwan. The research demonstrates that misinformation control depends strongly on institutional coordination, digital literacy culture, and the integration of verification technologies into public communication systems.
During the 2024 election cycle, political misinformation increased sharply in both countries. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter became primary arenas for political narrative competition. Emotional and manipulative content spread faster than factual reporting, shaping public perception and influencing trust in electoral outcomes.
In Indonesia, misinformation was largely domestically generated and dominated by video-based content. Taiwan, in contrast, faced more complex geopolitical disinformation combined with artificial intelligence tools such as deepfake videos and synthetic voice cloning targeting political actors.
The study used a comparative qualitative approach by analyzing verification activities conducted between January and March 2024 by organizations including Mafindo, CekFakta, Taiwan FactCheck Center, and Cofacts. Data sources included content analysis, expert interviews, and institutional reports documenting misinformation patterns during the election period.
Findings show that misinformation volume in Indonesia increased significantly ahead of the election. According to the Mafindo dataset presented in the table on page 6, 2,119 hoaxes were recorded during the first half of 2024, nearly double the number from the previous year. Approximately 31.6 percent were directly related to election issues.
The study also identified a shift in misinformation format. Video content replaced static images as the dominant manipulation strategy. As shown in the table on page 7, YouTube accounted for 44.6 percent of misinformation distribution, followed by Facebook at 34.4 percent and TikTok at 9.3 percent.
Further analysis from the CekFakta coalition, presented in the table on page 8, indicates that 43.88 percent of misinformation used false connection techniques, while 34.69 percent relied on false context narratives involving misleading interpretations of authentic materials.
Taiwan’s misinformation landscape differed significantly. Data presented in the table on page 8 show that many narratives aimed to weaken public trust in Taiwan–United States relations. Additional threats included coordinated influence campaigns using anonymous accounts and AI-generated political manipulation content.
The study also documented coordinated inauthentic behavior involving VPN-based foreign accounts attempting to shape domestic political discourse. These activities targeted electoral legitimacy and public confidence in democratic institutions.
Another key finding concerns differences in verification culture between the two countries. In Indonesia, fact-checking remains largely individual and situational rather than embedded in everyday digital behavior. Many respondents reported relying on peer recommendations rather than institutional verification tools.
In contrast, Taiwanese citizens demonstrated stronger verification habits supported by integrated digital tools such as the Cofacts chatbot within the LINE messaging platform. This integration enables rapid verification before information is shared publicly.
According to Gita Aprinta Betseba from Universitas Semarang, fact-checking effectiveness depends not only on institutional infrastructure but also on public participation in verification practices.
The research further shows that Indonesian organizations such as Mafindo expanded volunteer-based verification networks and collaborated with global digital platforms to detect manipulated audiovisual content. Taiwan adopted a whole-of-society approach that combines civic technology communities, government agencies, and independent verification institutions.
These findings highlight that fact-checking has evolved beyond a corrective journalistic function into a structural component of democratic communication systems. Verification practices support transparent public discourse and strengthen institutional trust during electoral processes.
Gita Aprinta Betseba is affiliated with Universitas Semarang.
0 Komentar