The Role of Buzzer Groups in Policies for Handling the Covid-19 Pandemic on Social Media

Abstract

Controversial policies in handling the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia have become the subject of discussion in online media and social media. The subject of this discussion became a cyberwarfare (war of information), especially in social media which resulted in changes and shifts in public opinion towards the government. Cyberwar that occurs in online media is played by the political buzzer which aims to spread negative propaganda against the government so that it threatens national sovereignty and resilience. The increasingly widespread distribution causes high pressure from the public to immediately take extreme steps to prevent the spread from spreading further. Through social media platforms, there is a cyberwar between netizens to form arguments and discourses that can influence public opinion. Freedom of expression in the use of social media is used as a gap for buzzers to agitate and propaganda to win a cyberwar.