The Role of Civil Society in Controlling Digital Disinformation in East Lombok Regency

Abstract

Digital disinformation has become one of the most disruptive conditions of contemporary democracy because it unsettles trust, distorts public judgment, and weakens the normative basis of participation. In local settings, the danger is not only the circulation of false information but also the gradual normalization of communicative disorder in everyday civic life. This article examines the role of civil society in controlling digital disinformation in East Lombok Regency. It asks how civil society can function as a mediating force between citizens, digital platforms, and democratic institutions, and what kinds of capacities are required for such a role to become effective. The study employs a qualitative design based on literature review and document analysis. The sources include civil society theory, democratic theory, public-sphere scholarship, research on disinformation, Indonesian policy documents on digital literacy, reports of election-monitoring institutions, and statistical publications relevant to East Lombok. The findings show that the role of civil society in controlling digital disinformation depends on at least four intertwined capacities: civic literacy, social mediation, participatory monitoring, and public advocacy. In East Lombok, these capacities are structurally relevant because the regency combines a large population, expanding digital connectivity, active associational life, and a political environment in which information moves quickly through social media, messaging applications, religious networks, youth communities, and neighborhood-level informal communication. The article argues that civil society is most effective when it does not merely react to isolated hoaxes but helps institutionalize habits of verification, ethical communication, and collaborative public responsibility. The contribution of the article lies in repositioning civil society as a democratic infrastructure of epistemic care at the local level.