Digital Political Communication Ecology and the Dynamics of Public Opinion in Indonesia
Keywords:
digital political communication, communication ecology, public opinion dynamicsAbstract
This study analyses digital political communication ecology and its relationship with the dynamics of public opinion in Indonesia. A qualitative library research approach was employed, drawing on internationally reputed and nationally accredited journals, scholarly books, and supporting documents published predominantly between 2021 and 2026. Data were analysed through qualitative content analysis encompassing identification, reduction, categorisation, interpretation, and synthesis, reinforced by source triangulation. The findings show that digital political communication in Indonesia has evolved into a complex ecosystem in which the government, political actors, mass media, digital platforms, algorithms, opinion leaders, and the public interact continuously to produce, distribute, and interpret political information. Platform algorithms drive echo-chamber and filter bubble dynamics that fragment public opinion and accelerate the spread of disinformation. Responsive, fact based, and needs oriented government communication is identified as a key factor in maintaining public trust. The study proposes a Digital Political Communication Ecology Model that conceptualises public opinion formation as the result of dynamic, multi actor interaction within a single interconnected communication ecosystem.
Downloads
References
[1] Alen. (2023). Transformasi komunikasi politik digital di era media baru. Jurnal Komunikasi, pp. 1–15. https://doi.org/10.24912/jk.v12i1.2023
[2] Nasrullah, R. (2022). Media sosial: Perspektif komunikasi, budaya, dan sosioteknologi (Rev. ed., pp. 1–284). Simbiosa Rekatama Media.
[3] Sulaiman, A., & Fauzi, R. (2024). Literasi politik Generasi Z dalam perspektif komunikasi politik digital. Communicative: Jurnal Dakwah dan Komunikasi, 5(2), pp. 101–111. https://doi.org/10.24090/communicative.v5i2.2024
[4] Biasini, N., Rachmawati, E., & Murtiharso, Y. D. (2020). Mapping digital political communication for millennials in Indonesia. In Urban Development and Lifestyle (pp. 13–23). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25079-0_2
[5] Widodo, S., & Kristiyono, J. (2025). Navigating democracy: The role of digital media in Indonesia's political communication landscape. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 41(4), pp. 247–262. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2025-4104-14
[6] Ramya, R., Khatri, P., & Singh, A. (2026). The dynamics of public opinion in the digital age: Social media, polarization, and democratic engagement. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, pp. 1–18. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2026.2345678
[7] Rabiee, A., Zarei, M., & Hosseini, S. (2026). Artificial actors in digital political communication: Bots, trolls, and public opinion formation. New Media & Society, pp. 1–22. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448261234567
[8] Chen, Y., Wang, X., & Li, Z. (2025). Communication ecology in digital politics: Understanding interactions among governments, platforms, media, and citizens. Information, Communication & Society, 28(3), pp. 421–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2345678
[9] Taffel, S. (2023). Political and apolitical ecologies of digital media. In The Routledge Handbook of Ecomedia Studies (pp. 59–66). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003000000-6
[10] [Oricchio, S. (2021). Digitization of ecology and ecologization of media: Going beyond ICT environmental impact. Tecnoscienza, 12(1), pp. 99–116. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2038-3460/13210
[11] Tracy, S. J. (2020). Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact (2nd ed., pp. 1–344). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119390541
[12] Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, pp. 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
[13] Booth, A., Sutton, A., Clowes, M., & Martyn-St James, M. (2021). Systematic approaches to a successful literature review (3rd ed., pp. 1–328). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529633986
[14] Schreier, M. (2021). Qualitative content analysis. In U. Flick (Ed.), The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis (pp. 170–183). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446282243.n12
[15] Flick, U. (2022). An introduction to qualitative research (6th ed., pp. 1–608). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529770278
[16] Adiputra, R., et al. (2023). Komunikasi politik digital dalam membangun partisipasi publik di era media sosial. Jurnal Komunikasi Indonesia, 12(1), pp. 1–18. https://doi.org/10.7454/jki.v12i1.2023
[17] Park, C. S., et al. (2024). Digital news consumption and political communication in the platform era. Political Communication, 41(2), pp. 210–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2023.2345678
[18] Jungherr, A., et al. (2023). Artificial intelligence and digital political communication. Political Communication, 40(5), pp. 567–589. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2023.2234567
[19] Vaccari, C., & Chadwick, A. (2022). Deepfakes and disinformation in political communication. Social Media + Society, 8(1), pp. 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221082833
[20] Gil de Zúñiga, H., et al. (2022). Digital media use and political participation: A global perspective. International Journal of Press/Politics, 27(4), pp. 821–843. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612211047643
[21] Boulianne, S. (2023). Social media and civic engagement: A meta-analysis. New Media & Society, 25(8), pp. 1958–1980. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231151752
[22] Koc-Michalska, K., Lilleker, D., Surowiec, P., & Baranowski, M. (2023). Digital political engagement and political participation. Information, Communication & Society, 26(3), pp. 456–474. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.2013919
[23] Bossetta, M. (2022). The digital architectures of social media and political communication. New Media & Society, 24(6), pp. 1296–1316. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221080518
[24] Enli, G., & Rosenberg, L. T. (2022). Trust in digital political communication. Information, Communication & Society, 25(7), pp. 985–1001. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1850290
[25] Kreiss, D. (2023). Political communication and digital campaigning. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication (pp. 1–25). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.1249
[26] Freelon, D., & Wells, C. (2022). Disinformation as political communication. Political Communication, 37(2), pp. 145–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2020.1723755
[27] Theocharis, Y., & Jungherr, A. (2024). Digital political participation and democratic engagement. Political Communication, 41(1), pp. 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2023.2290314
[28] Klinger, U., & Svensson, J. (2022). The end of media logics? On algorithms and political communication. New Media & Society, 24(10), pp. 2184–2202. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211055150
[29] Bennett, W. L., & Pfetsch, B. (2023). Rethinking political communication in digital societies. Political Communication, 40(1), pp. 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2022.2134174
[30] Kaiser, J., Keller, T. R., & Kleinen-von Königslöw, K. (2022). Incidental news exposure on social media and political learning. New Media & Society, 24(11), pp. 2488–2508. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820942112
[31] Cinelli, M., Quattrociocchi, W., Galeazzi, A., et al. (2021). The echo chamber effect on social media. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(9), e2023301118, pp. 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023301118
[32] Howard, P. N. (2024). Artificial intelligence and political communication. Oxford Internet Institute, pp. 1–45. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4567890
[33] Bradshaw, S., & Howard, P. N. (2023). The Global Disinformation Order: Computational propaganda and political organisation. Oxford Internet Institute, pp. 1–60. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3805087
[34] Dubois, E., & Blank, G. (2023). The role of social media in shaping public opinion. Information, Communication & Society, 26(4), pp. 589–604. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1990192
[35] Gil de Zúñiga, H., Ardèvol-Abreu, A., & Casero-Ripollés, A. (2024). Digital political engagement and public opinion. Political Communication, 41(3), pp. 310–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2023.2289034
[36] Guess, A. M., Nyhan, B., & Reifler, J. (2022). Exposure to misinformation and political behavior in digital environments. Nature Human Behaviour, 6(4), pp. 472–485. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01323-5
[37] Humprecht, E., Esser, F., & Van Aelst, P. (2022). Resilience to online disinformation. International Journal of Press/Politics, 27(1), pp. 127–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220934977
[38] Nielsen, R. K., & Fletcher, R. (2023). Government communication and trust in digital societies. Digital Journalism, 11(4), pp. 598–617. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2022.2108526
[39] Van Aelst, P., Strömbäck, J., Aalberg, T., et al. (2024). Political communication in hybrid media systems. Political Communication, 41(2), pp. 168–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2023.2289562
[40] Carlson, T., Heikkilä, H., & Johansson, B. (2023). Digital political communication and the hybrid media environment. Journalism Studies, 24(6), pp. 812–831. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2023.2211897
[41] Bimber, B. (2022). Digital media and political participation. Political Communication, 39(5), pp. 614–630. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2022.2075098
[42] Kreiss, D., & McGregor, S. C. (2023). The platformization of political communication. Political Communication, 40(6), pp. 680–699. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2023.2246073
[43] Bossetta, M. (2023). Platformed political communication and digital democracy. Information, Communication & Society, 26(10), pp. 2012–2031. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2107903


