Decoding Hoax on the Issue of Religious Politicization in Indonesia on New Media Era

Abstract

This study aims to describe the meaning of the contents of a hoax message on the issue of religious politicization in Indonesia in the new media era. In the days leading up to the 2019 presidential election in Indonesia, a lot of hoax information is scattered through the internet, especially social media. Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world, so it is used by some parties to create political issues associated with religion. This research uses a descriptive qualitative method with hoax information data spread in social media. The results of this study show, religion became a political object to provoke public confidence to be easily provoked in terms of a party (political figures or political party). Religion is also used as a background in the core of hoax news disseminated to society as part of political propaganda.