This study examines the role of social communication and digital literacy in preventing hoaxes in urban and semi-urban Indonesia. The rapid expansion of digital communication has increased access to information while simultaneously accelerating the spread of misinformation, posing challenges to social trust and public understanding. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study combines a quantitative survey of 228 respondents from urban and semi-urban areas, including Jakarta and Bekasi, with qualitative in-depth interviews involving 15 participants to provide contextual insights. Quantitative data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the relationships between variables, while qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis to explore patterns of community communication. The findings show that social communication, particularly through interpersonal interactions and community-based discussions, significantly contributes to raising awareness and fostering collective resistance to hoaxes. Digital literacy skills, including fact-checking, source evaluation, and critical information processing, also have a significant positive effect on individuals' ability to identify and reject misinformation. Furthermore, the results indicate a complementary relationship between social communication and digital literacy, where both dimensions mutually reinforce their effectiveness in reducing vulnerability to hoaxes. This study highlights the importance of integrating digital literacy initiatives with community-based communication strategies to strengthen societal resilience against misinformation. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the cross-sectional design and the focus on urban and semi-urban populations. The study contributes to communication research by emphasizing the socially embedded nature of digital literacy in combating misinformation.
Rohim et al. (Fri,) studied this question.