Ongoing Challenges in Digital Literacy

The increasing shift in public activities to online spaces must be supported by increased digital literacy. This, for one, is related to digital security in order to prevent people from becoming victims of cybercrimes.

KOMPAS/TATANG MULYANA SINAGA

Launching of the 2022 National Digital Literacy Index study results in Jakarta, Wednesday (1/2/2023). The 2022 National Digital Literacy Index reaches 3.54 points, an increase of 0.05 points compared to 2021.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The latest digital literary index has shown an increase. The 2022 National Digital Literacy Index increased to 3.54 points on a scale of 5 points. An increase of 0.05 points compared to 2021 is still insignificant, however, and Indonesia still faces a number of major challenges in digital literacy.

This digital literacy index is based on four key pillars, namely digital skills, digital ethics, digital security and digital culture. The survey involved 10,000 internet users between 13-70 years old in 514 districts and cities across 34 provinces.

When it was first launched in 2020, the index stood at 3.46 points. It then increased to 3.49 points in 2021 and to 3.54 points in 2022.

“It is hoped that [the index] will continue to increase and [digital literacy] become advanced. A score of 3 is still mediocre. We want to reach a score of 4,” said the Communication and Information Ministry’s informatics and applications director general, Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, at an event with the Katadata Insight Center to announce the results of the 2022 National Digital Literacy Index in Jakarta on Wednesday (1/2/2023).

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Increasing digital literacy is becoming more important as an increasing number of people’s activities are taking place online. As such, people need digital skills to understand internet usage and security to avoid the risk of becoming victims of cybercrime.

“We invite stakeholders to continue to encourage greater digital literacy. If the index increases, so will our [digital] capabilities,” he said.

Semuel explained that digital technology now facilitated many activities among the public. Aside from online shopping, such technologies also facilitated health and legal consultations.

However, this convenience also comes with security risks in cyberspace. Cybercrimes continue to grow and develop, taking on many different forms.

The invitation comes with an APK [application package file] malware that, when clicked, corrupts our devices.

Recently, there have been cases of fraud using digital invitations sent via short messages. Recipients who click on the invitation will prompt an application to be installed on their devices.

“The invitation comes with an APK [application package file] malware that, when clicked, corrupts our devices,” he said.

The rise in cyber fraud is in line with the results of the 2022 National Digital Literacy Index. Of the four pillars measured, the lowest score was in digital security, at 3.12 points. Meanwhile, digital skills had a score of 3.52 points, digital ethics 3.68 points and digital culture 3.84 points.

According to Sibercreation chairman Donny Budi Utoyo, the low level of digital security is inseparable from the rapid development of cybercrime technology. Thus, digital literacy refers not only to the ability to identify information, but also the capacity to be wary when receiving potentially harmful digital information or documents.

Increased awareness was needed to improve digital security. “If we don’t safeguard this, we could suddenly be charged for illegal online loans or our identities could be misused and registered as supporters of certain groups,” he said.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Visitors reading a collection of books at the Cirebon City 400 Library, West Java, Tuesday (17/1/2023). Throughout 2022, a total of 19,854 visited the regional library.

Major challenges

The National Digital Literacy Index, which has marked only a slight increase, still faces various challenges. According to the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2022 by the Institute for Management Development (IMD), Indonesia ranks 51st out of 63 countries. Indonesia still lags behind several other Southeast Asian countries, with Singapore ranking fourth, Malaysia 31st and Thailand 40th.

The 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey also showed that Indonesian students’ reading ability placed the country 71st out of 76 countries. The 2021 National Assessment found that one out of two students in the country had yet to achieve the minimum literacy competency.

“On the one hand, we should be grateful for the increase [in the Digital Literacy Index]. But on the other, it [presents] a challenge that there is still much to be done to aim for a higher [score],” said Donny.

According to Donny, apart from digital security, another major challenge is anticipating the spread of misinformation or hoaxes, especially ahead of the 2024 elections. This is because according to the 2022 Digital Literacy Index survey, 72.6 percent of respondents stated that they obtained information from social media.

Additionally, 30.8 percent of respondents rated social media as the most trusted news source, while 43.5 percent of respondents said it was television broadcasts.

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Ten percent of respondents pointed to official government websites as the most trusted source, while 9.7 percent trusted online media and 0.6 percent print media.

According to Donny, education to anticipate the spread of hoaxes requires the involvement of various parties, including global platforms.

“We don’t want hoaxes to trigger polarization and cause [conflict],” he said.

We must also be wary about the number of respondents who access information on social media. This is because information on social media can be disseminated without verification. In fact, in many cases, it is used to incite others.

“[News from social media] is unlike news from the mass media, which maintains accuracy and verifies its facts and goes through editors. There are standards in place,” said Katadata Insight Center deputy head Vivi Zabkie.

This is a national program that will continue until 2024. We’re aiming to provide 50 million people with digital literacy.

Yogyakarta and West Kalimantan are the provinces that top the digital literacy index, with a score of 3.64 points each. They are followed by East Kalimantan and West Papua, with 3.62 points each.

Digital literacy is increasingly important because as the survey results showed, 45 percent of respondents admitted they were hesitant about whether they could identify a piece of information as a hoax. Another 20 percent said they were unsure. Only 32 percent said they were certain and very certain.

The communication ministry’s informatics empowerment director, Bonifasius W. Pudjianto, said the digital literacy program targeted all segments of the population. By 2022, the program had reached more than 17 million people.

“This is a national program that will continue until 2024. We’re aiming to provide 50 million people with digital literacy [skills],” he said.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.