JAKARTA. According to social media pundit Pangeran Siahaan, there is a certain danger in the consumption of Internet memes by the young generation of voters.
“Seventeen to 20 year-olds rarely verify the information they get, and they are prone to taking them [Internet memes] seriously as a main source of information, even though most politically themed memes are made to humor people,” Pangeran told The Jakarta Post.
To anticipate this, the football pundit said that it was up to public advocacy groups to guide the discussion toward an informed debate.
Pangeran said that the Internet meme was a form of expression used by digitally connected people to react to various ideas or events that were not necessarily political.
“They are no different from wall graffiti or other cultural transmitters such as pamphlets and newsletters,” Pangeran said.
Pangeran said that the effect an Internet meme had in the social media sphere was somewhat positive, because of its ability to spark discussion.
However, the @Ayovote activist also said that the Internet meme culture had minimal effect on the current political discourse due to its superficial nature. Internet memes do not necessarily promote in-depth discussions, he implied.
“I believe that they’re made just for fun,” he added.
When asked whether memes could be used to defame or embarrass political opponents, Pangeran said that memes were more often used for entertainment than as a political tool.
“There is a difference between making people laugh and trying to discredit people. In the case of the Kalpatura meme, it focused on the mistake, not on the person,” he said.
After the last presidential debate, a number of memes circulated in social media depicting vice presidential candidates Hatta Rajasa and Jusuf Kalla engaged in an argument about mistaking the Adipura award for the Kalpataru award.
Related News
Choose carefully, Indonesia
High voter turnout expected
