Rahman Syahrul Awal, Rifki Muhammad Bintang and Henry Hilmawan Wibowo. (Photo: Special)
UMM Malang Government Science Study Program always encourages students to participate in various competitions and competitions. The goal is perfect for students, starting from stimulating them to develop knowledge through research, adding experience, and improving soft skills, especially public speaking. The latest 3 UMM IP students, on behalf of Rahman Syahrul Awal, Rifki Muhammad Bintang, and Henry Hilmawan Wibowo, and all of them are Class 2019 students managed to qualify as finalists for the National Scientific Writing Competition for Information and Communication Technology (LKTIN-TIK UMSU) held by the Muhammadiyah University of North Sumatra, 10-26 February 2022.
In the competition which took the theme "Information and Communication Technology for Indonesia Rise to Competence in the 21st Century", Rahman et al. succeeded in passing the selection by taking the title "Character Education as Provision for Millennial Generation in Facing Technology in the Modern Era". This article specifically wants to see how the millennial generation prepares a strong self-character when dealing with internet penetration which is flooded with information and often has a negative impact. The millennial generation, whose daily life is very close to social media, needs to be careful and vigilant by increasing digital literacy not to destroy their humanist and intellectual character. To deal with that, character education is an essential foundation that the millennial generation must own to take the positive side of technological developments, for example, increasing creativity, sources of information, and broadening the horizons of knowledge. On the contrary, information technology has not produced millennials who have lost their character as a critical generation because hoaxes and provocative information easily influence them.
Rahman Syahrul Awal., et al in the presentation session. (Photo: Special)
Rahman representing his friends, emphasized this participation to develop themselves and contribute to the development of science. "By participating in this competition, we can express our ideas about technological developments that are like a double-edged sword, benefiting and harming the millennial generation. Rahman et al. realized that the observations made by social media, in particular, made many students lose their character, namely being apathetic, lazy to study, and vulnerable to being influenced by hoaxes and other dangerous teachings. To stem this, character education is the primary key for the millennial generation in welcoming a competitive Indonesian society in the 21st century. Character education must be instilled, one of which is through educational institutions and is a shared responsibility between the community and the government, "said Rahman.
Muhammad Kamil, S.IP., MA, as the Head of UMM Malang IP Study Program, really supports all positive student activities like this. "We at Study Program are trying our best to encourage students to take part in debate competitions like this. Therefore, the academic climate is directed to support this and provide direct guidance for students who participate in the competition. "We do all that so that students continue to excel and get used to a competitive climate, all of which will help their future," closed Kamil.
