Intercultural Interaction Creates New Standards of Digital Ethics

Intercultural interactions can create new standards of ethics. Connecting and collaborating with many people in digital media requires digital ethics.
The Head of the Kolaka Regency Education and Culture Office, Muhammad Jusrin Djafar, conveyed this when he was a resource person in a digital literacy webinar for the education segment held by the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kemkominfo) together with the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Education and Culture Office, in Kolaka Regency, Tuesday (24/9).
Jusrin said that activities in the digital space require digital literacy skills related to internet etiquette (netiquette). These competencies include the ability to access information according to netiquette, select and analyze information when communicating and efforts to fortify oneself from negative actions on digital platforms.
“Then, the competence to produce and distribute information, verify messages, participate in building social relations, and collaborate on data and information safely and comfortably,” he explained.
In an online discussion entitled “Becoming a Competent, Ethical, and Digitally Empowered Digital Citizen,” Jusrin asked digital users to use digital media with full awareness and purpose, be responsible, honest, and spread goodness.
The online discussion was attended by a number of schools, namely SMPN 4 Taggetada, SMPN 2, SMPN 3 and SMPN 3 Watubangga, SMPN 2 Wolo, SMPIT Nursyamzam, SMPN 1 and SMPN 4 Latambaga, SMPN 2 and SMPN 3 Pomalaa, SMPN 1 and SMPN 2 Kolaka, SMP Satu Atap 1 Watubangga, and SMPN 1 Toari.
IAIN Kerinci lecturer Jafar Ahmad added that the internet has become a powerful tool for disseminating information and content.
The Internet is able to reach millions of people quickly, opening up huge opportunities for the spread of positive content that can inspire and motivate society.
“It takes digital skills to harness the enormous potential of information technology. Namely, the ability to access information, global communication skills, skill enhancement, and innovation and creativity,” explained Jafar Ahmad.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Entrepreneurship Study Program at Maarif Hasyim Latif University, Sidoarjo, M. Adhi Prasnowo, emphasized that the point is to be able to provide equal digital rights to women and children, as well as senior citizens.
“Vulnerable segments in the digital space that often experience ‘digital intervention’ include bullying of children, digital exploitation of children, sexual harassment of women and information storms on the elderly,” said Adhi.
The discussion held in Kolaka Regency is part of the National Digital Literacy Movement (GNLD) program. GNLD is held as an effort to accelerate digital transformation in the education sector to community groups towards a #MakinCakapDigital Indonesia.
Since its inception in 2017, by the end of 2023, the program has been recorded as having been followed by 24.6 million people. This activity is expected to be able to increase the digital literacy rate of 50 million Indonesians by the end of 2024.
Digital skills are important because “according to the survey results of the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII),” internet users in Indonesia in 2024 have reached 221.5 million people out of a total population of 278.7 million Indonesians.