LOW READING LITERACY AND HOAX DISSEMINATION IN INDONESIA'S DIGITAL SOCIETY

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between low reading literacy and hoax dissemination in Indonesia's digital society. Drawing on a narrative literature review of international assessment data, Indonesian government reports, and recent studies on misinformation and media literacy, the paper argues that hoax dissemination is not merely a technological problem but also a literacy problem. Indonesia's PISA 2022 reading performance, including an average reading score of 359 and only about one quarter of students reaching Level 2 or above, indicates a persistent difficulty in identifying main ideas, evaluating textual purpose, and distinguishing claims from evidence. In digital environments, these weaknesses intersect with algorithmic amplification, social trust networks, political polarization, and platform affordances such as forwarding, reposting, and short-form audiovisual content. The discussion proposes a conceptual framework in which reading literacy influences users' capacity for verification, source evaluation, contextual interpretation, and sharing restraint. The paper concludes that anti-hoax strategies in Indonesia should integrate reading literacy, media and information literacy, platform accountability, community-based fact-checking, and curriculum reform rather than relying primarily on takedown mechanisms or punitive regulation.