Hoaxes spread terror, fear throughout Jakarta

JAKARTA, Indonesia—As the sound of gunfire and explosions blasted from the vicinity of JI, MH Thamrin’s Cakrawala Building on Thursday, passersby, vendors and motorcycle taxi drivers ran in horror from whence the sounds came.

Although the incident took place in the building’s carpark compound, not far from Starbucks Coffee and on the road in front of the building, horror spread like wildfire throughout Jakarta warning messages shared through social media because of some fake, some confirmed.

Offices in proximity to the crime scene, such as state-owned lender Bank Syariah Mandiri, promptly locked their gates to keep their employees safe and vendors scrambled to close their shops and take cover.

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Shortly after the incident took place, hoax messages were shared repeatedly, circulating through platforms such as WhatsApp and Path, adding fuel to the collective horror. Several of the messages that circulated included a warning that bombs had also been detonated in other areas throughout the city, such as in Palmerah and Cikini in Central Jakarta, Kuningan in South Jakarta, Slipi in West Jakarta, as well as several embassies. Other messages claimed that armed men in a green car and on a trail motorcycle, traveling through the city’s thoroughfares on Jl. Sudirman to Senayan, in South Jakarta, were shooting aimlessly with an AK-47.

Another message claimed that many upscale shopping malls had been targeted, not only in Jakarta but also those in satellite cities such as Bekasi, Depok and Bogor in West Java, and also in Tangerang.

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Amanda Clarissa, a civil servant working at the Senayan traffic circle area, said that she was near Senayan City shopping center when she received a chain message that warned workers to stay inside their office as shooters were on the loose and were making their way to the area. “I was scared […] I guess everyone was scared because after seeing the message we stayed inside the office,” Amanda said.

She said that she had also planned to attend a bridal shower in Kuningan but the plan was abruptly canceled due to the hoax messages. “The information [shared through social media] was confusing, yet it was shared so many times across a range of different platforms, so we didn’t feel safe at all,” Amanda said.

Communications expert Ade Armando said that such information was often disseminated during critical situations, whether to deliberately spread terror or out of fear.

“Hoax messages come from two sources; from people who want to spread fear and from people who are fearful. These messages are then circulated and shared multiple times in the heat of the moment,” Ade told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Thursday.

He explained that the development of technology and social media had made it both faster and easier for the messages to circulate, and advised residents not to re-share before confirming the information. Ade, however, said that many netizens were smart enough and would rebuke or scold those who made or shared such messages.

Separately, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama called on residents not to spread pictures of the victims as it was not ethical. “Do not easily trust rumors that are circulated and do not speculate on anything,” he said, adding that residents should await information from the police.

“The police will announce developments in the case. We do not need to worry,” he said.