52 Power of Knowledge and Community Social Class above Covid-19 Pandemic Information on Social Media http://dx.doi.org/10.25008/jkiski.v5i1.372 Tri Sulistyaningtyas 1 , Jejen Jaelani 2 , Yani Suryani 3 1,3 Literacy, Media, dan Culture Research Group - Faculty of Fine Art and Desain Institut Teknologi Bandung Jl. Ganesha No. 10 Bandung 40132 - Indonesia 2 Visual Communication Design Study Program - Institut Teknologi Sumatera Jl. Terusan Ryacudu, Way Huwi, Lampung Selatan 35365 - Indonesia * Corresponding author: trining.ism70@fsrd.itb.ac.id Submitted: 21 April 2020, Revised: 19 May 2020, Accepted: 19 June 2020 Accredited by Kemristekdikti No. 28/E/KPT/2019 Abstract Information about the spread of the coronavirus is circulated through various information channels in the society, both mainstream media, alternative media, social media, and daily conversation. One of the information channels that is widely used and referenced by the public is social media. Dissemination of information about the expanse of the coronavirus on social media is arranged by various individuals. This study will explain the disemination of information relating to covid-19 in terms of the social class of the reader. In this study, we use critical discourse analysis as a method for analyzing data. This study finding is that the information circulation about coronavirus in social media is class bias. General information is conducted through formal language by middle-class groups. On the other hand, many people present alternative information in the form of memes, jokes, and funny content that contains information about spreading the coronavirus. This phenomenon can be categorized as a lower social class attempt to understanding and spreading information about the coronavirus (Cinelli, et al., 2020)outbreak. The media used to disseminate this information contains text, images/photos, or videos that contain memes, organizes, and funny content. This phenomenon can be seen as a lower-class struggle to educate its class in situations and conditions caused by the coronavirus. Keywords: Coronavirus; discourse; information; social class; social media Introduction The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the Covid-19 virus as a severe global threat. This was predicted in 2017 in the global risk report by the World Economic Forum. The Covid-19 pandemic case raises an important role for information diffusion in the news cycle of disintermediation (Cinelli, et al., 2020). The spread of the corona virus has increased dramatically throughout the world. The spread is so fast and makes everyone panic. Transmission and death of victims continues to be recorded. Various countries carry out various policies to anticipate and handle. Research continues to find solutions to this pandemic. One study of social media relating to Covid-19 is a study conducted by Cinelli et al. The research discussed information diffusion about Covid-19 by analyzing post data on five social media platforms, namely YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and Gab. Cellini et al. Concluded that understanding the social dynamics behind consumption of content and social media is an important subject because it can help design more efficient epidemic models by calculating social behavior and implementing more efficient communication strategies in times of crisis (Cinelli, et al., 2020). Jurnal Komunikasi Ikatan Sarjana Komunikasi Indonesia, Vol. 5 (1), 2020, 52-62 J U R N A L E-ISSN: 2503-0795 P-ISSN: 2548-8740 KOMUNIKASI IKATAN SARJANA KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA