Disinformation and Tradition as Prebunking:: The Case of Javanese Culture

Abstract

Disinformation is a new concept for an old phenomena. Living narratives, such as myth, have shown their existence and effect. Rethinking of the tradition as a tool to fight against disinformation is in line with prebunking. Prebunking is a tool to devoid disinformation, providing managing facts to opinioned discourse. The article starts with the assumption of the existence of tradition in its ability to literate the society from so called disinformation. Such tradition provides ways of life or wisdom that can  be used to avoid misinformation. Disinformation itself has different types reaction depending on the type of the society: whether it is in between modern and traditional or modern society at large Development in the Third World had situated the tradition as anti-modern and something that has to be changed into modern, achievement oriented, and somehow fit into western indicators. This research use the FGD as a tool to discuss the issue on well-known people such as lecturer of Javanese culture, fact checkers activist, media and social media expertiss, and artists. Some issues are further examined by using interviews. This research finds that myth or local wisdom has been used as a way to manage disinformation, lessening the effect of disinformation. However, while much of the tradition has been forgotten and marginalized during the rise of Indonesia development, it still exists as the strengthening element in society. This finding might be true for people who are still attached to tradition. For other generation and the millennial it could be something to reconsider. This paper suggests the rethinking of the tradition in the digital culture can be used as a way to apprehend disinformation in the digital age.