The Big Picture

THERE has never been a presidential contest as boisterous and heated as this one. The two candidates, Prabowo Subianto and Joko Widodo, along with their running mates, Hatta Rajasa and Jusuf Kalla respectively, have divided the people into opposite camps: us and them.

This polarization has become more acute with the amplification on social media. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Path and Instagram have become the campaign media that know neither time nor place. Every second, every minute, 24 hours a day, netizens from all corners yell out their views: support, praise, criticism, slurs, insults and even character assassination. Information and disinformation fill the air. People may have already decided who to vote for, but their choices may not be based on common sense or accurate information.

July 1, 2014