Dissemination of health-related information across Indonesia during COVID-19 is made more difficult due to fake news surrounding the pandemic and unequal education levels among the country’s more than 270 million people. country.
However, using simple language can help the public better understand social media messages during the pandemic, according to the Indonesian government’s spokesman for the country’s COVID-19 response.
People who affect health
During the HIMSS22 APAC session, “Social Media – Mastering Communication in the Digital Age” last Wednesday, Dr Reisa Broto Asmoro spoke about the importance of social media messaging to the pandemic in the country.
As a health influencer, Dr. Broto Asmoro has attracted the Indonesian public through many popular social media platforms in the country. She has over 2.1 million followers on Instagram, over 130,000 followers on TikTok, and over 45,000 YouTube subscribers.
She discussed a variety of health-related topics – from monkeypox in Indonesia to healthcare procedures for domestic tourists during COVID-19 – through social media posts. her various guilds.
Hearsay
Citing the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Dr Broto Asmoro said there were more than 5,000 pandemic-related hoaxes in one year circulating in Southeast Asia’s most populous region.
As a result, she created social media health-related infographics that were “easily socially acceptable, people [with] little education”.
Her efforts have paid off as more and more professionals join in to help raise public awareness.
“Everything has change. [A] a lot of doctors, especially the younger generation and other medical workers are sharing their knowledge through social networks,” she said.
The Indonesian government also exposes such hoaxes online Hoax Buster Page. Like other countries in the region, Indonesia is not immune to fake news, including the COVID-19 drug to the vaccine.
Simple texting
Dr. Broto Asmoro also used a more grounded approach to get the message across to the Indonesian public.
“I use ordinary communication, I use simple languages that most [of the] understanding society[s],” she speaks.
In Indonesia, there is a slogan “3M” urging the public to wear masks, wash their hands and keep social distance during COVID-19.
“3M is a very, very simple job and is accepted by the whole society,” she said.
“No matter how hard you work, no matter [how] your work is great, if someone else [do not] know [it]it is meaningless.
“So the best thing you can do is try to communicate in a certain way [people] will confirm. “
