Deputy Minister of Religion Becomes the Main Speaker for the Public Lecture on Digital Literacy in the Education Sector at STIBA Makassar

(STIBA.ac.id) Makassar – The public lecture on digital literacy in the higher education sector with the theme of Social Media Ethics was successfully held at the Anas bin Malik Mosque on the STIBA Makassar campus. The event, organized in collaboration between STIBA Makassar, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, was attended by various parties, including the Deputy Minister of Religion, Dr. H. Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi, M.Si, as the main speaker.

In this public lecture, the deputy minister discussed the importance of digital literacy in the education sector, particularly in understanding social media ethics. He emphasized that the rapid development of information technology demands a better understanding of the correct and responsible use of social media.

“The news that comes to us has two possibilities: true or false. If it’s false, we must not spread it because by sharing it, we are also participating in wrongdoing. As for what is true, there are two possibilities. First, what is true may not necessarily be good, and what is good may not necessarily be appropriate in terms of time, place, and situation. Therefore, we must be wise in conveying every piece of information,” said Kiai Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi on Thursday (11/05/2023).

In addition, the public lecture was also attended by other speakers, namely H. Anshar Syukur, M.I.Kom., the Chairman of the National Task Force (Satgasnas) for Digital Guidance of the Indonesian Digital School Network (JSDI), and Dr. Muhammad Yusran Anshar, Lc., M.A. from the Fatwa Commission of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and a lecturer at STIBA Makassar. Both of them shared their views and experiences in promoting digital literacy and social media ethics in society.

H. Anshar Syukur emphasized the importance of preparing talented digital human resources, which has become a priority program of the central government. According to him, the human resources prepared through this program are not only about their skills. It is not just about preparing them to become content creators, but what is also needed in addition to that is character.

“We shouldn’t just produce content, become YouTubers, programmers, or gamers, and eventually become hackers who pose a threat to the country because of the content we create. Therefore, character development should go hand in hand with learning technology skills,” he explained.

During the same occasion, Dr. Muhammad Yusran Anshar, Lc., M.A. from the Fatwa Commission of MUI and a lecturer at STIBA Makassar, explained that information media has been known since ancient times, even during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Ustaz Yusran then mentioned several examples of information media during the time of the Prophet, such as the call to prayer (adhan) and letters.

In the concluding part of his presentation, the Chairman of the Senate of STIBA Makassar read out the essence of the fatwa issued by the central MUI regarding social media ethics.

This public lecture, attended by the entire academic community of STIBA Makassar, took place from Asr prayer to Isha prayer at the Anas bin Malik Mosque. The aim of this public lecture is to raise awareness and enhance the understanding of students and lecturers about the importance of digital literacy and social media ethics in the field of education.

Loading