FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE STUDY
Roswita Lumban Tobing, Susana Widyastuti, S., Dwiyanto Djoko Pranowo

Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta

Abstract

This research examines the issue surrounding the phenomenon of a borderless society which was created due to the rapid use of information technology during the current Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. In this background, this study uses the Critical Discourse Analysis approach to examine fake news on social media which is very fast and massive in its spread. Many people choose social media to share information and convey their opinions freely, even though the news that is shared is often inaccurate. The objectives of this study are (1) to reveal the types and elements of linguistic forms of fake news about Covid-19, (2) to reveal the theme of fake news about Covid-19, and (3) to reveal the responses and perceptions of the Indonesian people to fake news about Covid-19.Data in the form of videos and audience comments on the social media platforms facebook, whatshap, twitter and istagram were collected from January to September 2020. The study is expected to provide a deeper understanding of how hoax formed and how the community can anticipate that.The results showed that there were 5 themes in fake news about Covid 19, namely themes about 1) health, 2) politics, 3) economy, 4) religion and 5) culture. The types of fake news available are 1) Rumors that do not come from clear news sources, 2) conspiracy, 3) satire and 4) reports that are misleading or distorted. The most common theme is health. This happens because what is being discussed is indeed a virus which is not good for health. Furthermore, the type of fake news that most often appears is misleading news. This shows that people still like news like that and it is very easy to spread on social media

Keywords: fake news, social media, critical discourse analysis, borderless society

Topic: Solidarity, Partnership, and Culture