{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1758002,
        "msgid": "why-pocong-terror-never-leaves-society-1779542055",
        "date": "2026-05-22 16:32:48",
        "title": "Why Pocong Terror Never Leaves Society",
        "author": "Mohamad Bintang Pamungkas",
        "source": "KOMPAS",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Anthropology",
        "summary": "Sociologist Rakhmat Hidayat argues that Pocong-related fear will persist in Indonesian society due to deep-rooted supernatural narratives embedded in collective memory. The piece notes that hoaxes such as a 'pocong with a machete' sparked public anxiety, driven by media virality which amplifies emotions rather than facts.",
        "content": "<p>The Pocong scare has unsettled residents again in Ciputat, South\nTangerang. Although later confirmed to be only a hoax, reports of a\n\u2018pocong with a knife\u2019 spread widely and triggered public anxiety.\nSociologist Rakhmat Hidayat says such phenomena will keep recurring in\nIndonesian society due to the cultural closeness to supernatural\nnarratives that have long lived in the collective memory of the people.\n\u2018From a sociological perspective, I see that issues like this will keep\nrecurring because Indonesians still have a cultural closeness to\nsupernatural narratives,\u2019 Rakhmat said when contacted by Kompas.com via\nWhatsApp on Friday (22 May 2026). According to him, figures such as\npocong, kuntilanak, and genderuwo are not merely seen as ghosts but as\ncultural symbols inherited from generation to generation. Therefore,\nwhen someone wears a pocong costume at night, the public tends to\nimmediately associate it with fears already ingrained. \u2018The pocong\nfigure is not merely a ghost but a cultural symbol that has long been\ntransmitted through folklore, family experiences, horror films, and even\ndigital media,\u2019 he said. He described this situation as \u2018collective\nfear\u2019, i.e., a fear that arises not solely from facts, but because\ncertain symbols already carry a disturbing meaning in people\u2019s minds.\n\u2018As a result, when someone wears a pocong costume at night, people\nimmediately link it to fear already ingrained,\u2019 said Rakhmat. He added\nthat small pieces of information whose accuracy is unclear can develop\ninto social panic because they are continually recorded, shared, and\nembellished by the public. \u2018Initially there was only a busker in a\npocong costume, then it evolved into the pocong with a knife issue,\npocong terror, and even linked to crime or the supernatural,\u2019 he said.\nRakhmat stressed that modern society today lives in a culture of\nvirality, where information is deemed important because it is widely\ndiscussed, not because it has been proven true. \u2018Short videos showing\ndark atmospheres, residents\u2019 shouts, or frightening narratives go viral\nmore easily because they provoke emotion,\u2019 he said.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/why-pocong-terror-never-leaves-society-1779542055",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}