To assist the elderly to be empowered by the internet, Tular Nalar 3.0 Mafindo with support from Google.org in collaboration with FISIP USU held an ACADEMI DIGITAL LANSIA (ADL) held at the Catholic Church ST. Fransiskus Asisi, Pasar 6 Padang Bulan, Medan City. This Akademi Digital Lansia (ADL) is a digital literacy training activity aimed at the elderly so that they are empowered to use digital media (internet).
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reports that the life expectancy (UHH) of the Indonesian population will reach 73.93 years in 2023. Based on the 2023 Elderly Population Statistics published by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), as many as 49.56% of the elderly already use gadgets. However, only a fifth have access to and use the internet. Elderly people, including vulnerable groups, need to be well-informed so that they are not easily fooled by digital fraud and the spread of fake news which is currently on the rise, especially ahead of a large-scale disaster, namely the regional head elections to be held in November 2024.
This activity was opened by RP.David D. Barus OFMConv. as Pastor of the Catholic Church of ST. Fransiskus Asisi Padang Bulan. In his remarks, Pastor David expressed his support for implementing the Academi Digital Lansia which is also considered important now. He expressed his full support for implementing this Academi Digital Lansia which is also expected to be carried out repeatedly and reach more elderly people from a wider range of areas, especially in the ST. Fransiskus Asisi Padang Bulan.
Also giving a speech, Yovita Sabarina Sitepu S.Sos., M.Si., as PIC Tular Nalar FISIP USU explained the Academi Digital Lansia that will be implemented along with a brief explanation of the assistance that will be carried out online after this Academi Digital Lansia activity is carried out. “The elderly are one of the groups that are vulnerable to becoming victims of digital crime today, therefore this activity aims to help improve the digital literacy skills of the Indonesian people, especially among the elderly,” he explained.
On a separate occasion, Mafindo Tular Nalar 3.0 Program Manager, Santi Indra Astuti, gave a speech and explained that Tular Nalar, which has been present since 2020, aims to instill the habit of critical thinking among the public while facing the upcoming information flow. “Currently we are dealing with the swift flow of thoughts and the flow of information that is challenging during the election period, so that is our current challenge,” she said in the welcome video.
The Academi Digital Lansia is carried out using the microteaching method, where one facilitator assists 10 participants, namely the elderly. The elderly are invited to recognize the challenges of the elderly in the digital world with BERBUDI (Bersama Bugar Digital). They are also introduced to fraud prevention measures with the concept of WAKUNCAR [Waspadai (Beware), Kunjungi (Visit), Cari (Search)], where in this segment the elderly are invited to analyze news with the ABCD game or Amati, Baca, Cari, Diskusikan (Observe, Read, Check the Facts, and Discuss). In this segment, the elderly are given the opportunity to discuss and analyze the news previously provided by the facilitator.
In addition to playing to discuss and analyze the news, the elderly are also introduced to the chaos that is usually found in content circulating on social media, namely Kacau IDE (Kacau Isi, Kacau Diri, and Kacau Emosi). At the end of the segment, the elderly and all facilitators held a cellphone exercise guided by the companion. The series of events went smoothly and enthusiastically.
Yovita said that, based on their observations during the activity, participants enthusiastically shared stories about fraud that happened to their acquaintances and misinformation that they received during the last presidential election season. Even during the “senam ponsel”, the elderly were so enthusiastic that the exercise was repeated twice. “Next week, during the mentoring activity, hopefully the participants will be able to apply the Wakuncar technique when receiving suspicious information either from WhatsApp, Facebook, or SMS,” she explained.