WhatsApp's 'Forward' Feature: A New Effort to Fight Hoaxes
WhatsApp recently launched a new feature designed to help users identify the source of the information they receive on the messaging app. For the first time, forwarded messages on WhatsApp will include an indicator marking them as forwarded messages.
This may be a small change for the messaging platform, but it could be a big change especially in the way people send information, especially content that is considered viral, through the messaging application. Even information passed on from cyber sources, such as Indonesia bettingtop10will be easily identified thanks to this sign.
This feature itself is only available in the latest version of WhatsApp, which marks forwarded messages with a ‘Forwarded’ sign. Even so, the sign that appears is still gray italic writing which can be easily overlooked at the top of the content.
This feature itself is intended as an effort to control the spread of false viral information, which has recently become a social problem in several countries, including Indonesia and India. Incorrect information is suspected to have been the mastermind behind the creation of negative feelings that spread in the community. In some places, this kind of false information is even suspected of triggering criminal acts, such as the abduction of children.
Not only WhatsApp, this kind of false information also spreads through other social media such as Facebook and Instagram. Therefore, as the parent company that houses the 3 big social media: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, Facebook decided to develop the technology applied to WhatsApp.
As one of the social media applications that are often used to share information with each other, WhatsApp invites its users to be careful in forwarding messages, especially messages that they cannot be held accountable for. Messages that cannot be verified can easily become false information and can trigger incidents in the community.
In addition, the Indonesian government as a regulator in the territory of Indonesia, also asks us to be wise and careful in using social media. Social media should be a place to share useful and positive information with each other, not information that is detrimental or vilifies others and cannot be accounted for. Wise use of social media such as WhatsApp must be done so that no one is harmed every time we use it.
