This article analysed how the Indonesian media framed Gibran Rakabuming before and after the 2024 general election. Gibran is a figure in the media spotlight, particularly as he is the son of President Joko Widodo. This study used framing theory to understand how the mainstream media in Indonesia, namely Kompas, Liputan6, Republika, and The Jakarta Post reported on Gibran Rakabuming. Data was collected from 1,089 news articles published by these four media outlets during a specific period. Sentiment analysis was conducted using NVivo 12 and VOS viewer with six main keywords representing the sentiment spectrum: very positive, positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative, negative, and very negative. The research findings indicate that media framing of Gibran Rakabuming Raka tended to be negative between the pre-election and post-election periods. This reflects the political dynamics and the consistent public perception of him. These findings provide important insights into the role of the media in shaping political imagery and influencing public opinion in Indonesia.
This study shows how food serves as a critical communicative practice that actively shapes identity and cultural mobility in Indonesian cinema by examining Wa’alaikumussalam Paris (2016) and Si Doel The Movie (2018), which represent contrasting modes of transnational mobility, long-term settlement and temporary displacement. Food demonstrates intercultural communication that mediates memory, longing, and processes of identity reconstruction. Drawing on Arjun Appadurai’s ethnoscape and gastro-politics, the analysis reveals that limited access to familiar hometown cuisine renders food a mobile cultural text and symbolic anchor. Rice, sambal, and ikan asin (salted fish) not only preserve attachment to Indonesian identity but also highlight the challenges of cultural adaptation. Thus, the study foregrounds food as an embodied, non-verbal form of communication through which identity is negotiated in transnational contexts.
Heat stress among smallholder farmers in Indonesia is a livelihood and cultural dilemma, where physical endurance is often prioritised over well-being in the pursuit of rezeki (sustenance). This creates a tension in which farmers normalise environmental risk as part of their identity and limit adaptive responses to climate change. This study aims to apply the Communication Theory of Resilience (CTR) as a communication framework in heat-stress extension to strengthen the adaptive capacity and resilience of the farming community in Tirtayasa Village, Banten. This study investigated: how can the Communication Theory of Resilience (CTR) reconfigure agricultural extension from information delivery into a communicative process that transforms how farmers interpret and respond to heat stress? Using a qualitative case study approach, post-training interviews were conducted with 13 farmers following a participatory workshop organised by Serang Raya University and its international partners. Data were analysed thematically based on five dimensions of CTR. The findings show that CTR reconfigures the communicative logic of farming communities. Farmers began to shift from silent endurance toward shared reflection, mutual support, and collective interpretation of heat stress as a communal challenge rather than an individual burden. However, this transformation remains uneven, particularly among senior farmers who tend to maintain fatalistic perspectives and habitual routines. These findings suggest that CTR-based extension redefines agricultural extension from instruction to co-construction. At a broader level, this communicative shift has implications for stabilising rural livelihoods, reducing health vulnerabilities, and strengthening community-based adaptation to climate change.
As Indonesia’s tax administration becomes increasingly digital, interactions between taxpayers and tax authorities are increasingly mediated through online communication rather than face-to-face encounters. However, tax compliance research still predominantly emphasises deterrence and economic calculation, while communicative dimensions remain underexplored. This study examined whether perceived digital tax communication quality influences voluntary compliance intention through institutional trust. Using a quantitative explanatory design, data were collected from 312 individual taxpayers through an online questionnaire and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that clarity of information, procedural transparency, responsiveness, and interactivity significantly strengthen trust in tax authorities. Trust positively influences voluntary compliance intention and partially mediates the relationship between communication quality and behavioural intention. These results suggest that, in digitally mediated governance, tax compliance is shaped not only by regulation but also by how institutional communication is experienced.
The integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into digital journalism has prompted concerns over editorial accountability, yet existing research predominantly applies normative ethical frameworks to Western contexts, leaving a critical gap in understanding how political-economic conditions in Global South democracies shape algorithmic gatekeeping. To address this gap, this study employs a political economy of communication framework and a qualitative multiple-case study of four Indonesian digital newsrooms legacy conglomerate, digital-native, independent investigative outlet, and public broadcaster analysing how GenAI restructures accountability mechanisms. Findings reveal three core mechanisms: an ‘efficiency-accountability bargain’ that forces resource-poor outlets into technological dependency on proprietary AI vendors; the emergence of a ‘techno-editorial elite’ that concentrates epistemic authority and generates ‘algorithmic alienation’ among traditional journalists; and the fragmentation of editorial chains, which reorients accountability from public-interest norms toward commercial platform metrics. These findings demonstrate that algorithmic gatekeeping in Indonesian newsrooms is structurally stratified by political-economic position, producing distinct accountability configurations that cannot be resolved through ethical guidelines alone.
Ngupi communication refers to informal morning interactions between leaders and employees in plantation settings. This study examined how ngupi communication operates as a strategic communication practice in addressing the palm oil production crisis at PT Perkebunan Nusantara in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The research employed a qualitative case study design conducted at one plantation unit, involving purposively selected informants consisting of managerial staff and field employees. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, non-participant observation, and document analysis, and were analysed using an interactive model of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that ngupi communication functions through three empirically grounded dimensions. First, dialogical interaction enables the circulation of production-related information and facilitates problem identification during declining output. Second, the practice of humility is reflected in leaders’ communicative openness, allowing employees to express concerns and negotiate meanings of organisational directives. Third, critical reflection emerges as employees collectively interpret production challenges and adjust their work practices in response to crisis conditions. These dimensions demonstrate that ngupi communication is not merely symbolic but operates as a situational communication mechanism that supports coordination and adaptive decision-making. This study contributes to organisational communication and theology-informed communication studies by conceptualising ngupi as a culturally embedded communication model that integrates relational ethics, collective awareness, and adaptive organisational responses in times of crisis.
This study is concerned with the politeness strategies used in digital communication. Focusing on WhatsApp, this study deals with how speakers maintain face and foster harmonious interactions. Grounded in Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Politeness Theory, this study identified the types and frequencies of politeness strategies as well as examined their impact on communication and language teaching. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were collected from natural conversations in a WhatsApp group and analysed through coding and frequency counts to obtain the dominant patterns. The findings indicate that positive politeness was the most dominant strategy employed by participants (20 occurrences), followed by bald on-record (13), negative politeness (8), and off-record (5). The appearance of the strategies in question indicates that the participants tended to maintain solidarity and directness, while still using other strategies that mitigate imposition. The study provides empirical evidence by applying and testing the relevance of politeness theory in WhatsApp group communication, rather than claiming a theoretical extension. The research provides new perspectives for pragmatic competence and language pedagogy, suggesting that teachers should be able to guide students in using politeness strategies for effective communication.
This study addressed two research questions: how communication networks among family, village government, and community actors are formed in community parenting programmes for left-behind children in Kenanga and Juntinyuat Villages, and how two-way communication within the microsystem and mesosystem supports programme sustainability. The study applies Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory of Human Development and communication network analysis to examine the relationships among concrete actors, including village heads, PKK administrators, Karang Taruna, teachers, health workers, police officers, religious figures, NGOs, surrogate carers, migrant mothers, and children. Communication networks in this study are understood as functions carried out by concrete actors, rather than as actors themselves. Certain actors influence parenting attitudes within the community, others manage the circulation of information from village institutions to families, while several actors connect local caregiving groups with migrant workers abroad. Using a qualitative approach, this research was conducted in Kenanga and Juntinyuat Villages, Indramayu Regency, through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation involving forty informants. The findings show that community parenting operates as a communication-based social intervention that promotes shared responsibility for left-behind children. In this sense, the villages seek to cultivate a new social behaviour: collective care. This process generates social capital by distributing responsibility across families, schools, village institutions, health workers, youth groups, religious communities, and NGOs. Furthermore, two-way communication functions as a feedback loop through which actors exchange parenting guidance, child protection information, educational assistance, and socio-emotional support. However, the central contribution of this study lies in showing that migrant mothers, despite being primary stakeholders in the care chain, remain relatively isolated within the communication network. Their weak connection with surrogate carers, schools, village institutions, and community actors reveals a fragmented mesosystem and an incomplete care chain. Therefore, Desmigratif requires stronger digitally mediated communication strategies to reconnect migrant mothers with village-based parenting networks.
This study investigated the strategic construction of political personal branding on social media within Indonesia’s dynamic political landscape, focusing on how it is manifested and contested through user-generated content about Prabowo Subianto on X (formerly Twitter). This study examined how visual symbols, hashtags, and popular culture references influence public opinion and reveal contrasting narratives that reflect the polarised nature of Indonesia’s digital public sphere. Employing a mixed-methods approach, algorithmic sentiment analysis (Naive Bayes) is combined with qualitative visual-symbolic coding. Findings reveal a dominant negative sentiment coexisting with strong pro-candidate messaging enriched by humour and affectionate visuals. This duality suggests potential audience segmentation and deliberate efforts to humanise the candidate, creating digital echo chambers for loyal supporters despite widespread criticism. The results highlight the strategic use of humour and emotional appeal by campaign teams and supporters to reconstruct public image, drawing on principles of affective engagement and participatory branding. The study provides valuable insights into how political figures and their communication strategies navigate polarised environments, offering key lessons for digital political public relations in an era shaped by emotion, culture, and interaction
The global demand for halal products is continuing to rise in tandem with the growing trend of the halal lifestyle. Indonesia, with the world's largest Muslim population, aims to become a global halal hub, although it currently ranks fourth in the SGIE 2023 report. This study explored how Indonesia, through the BPJPH (Super body Government Agency for Halal Enforcement), utilised public communication and diplomacy to enhance its nation branding in the global halal industry. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through interviews, website analysis, social media content, and event documentation. Findings indicate that BPJPH promotes halal branding through the SEHATI campaign, bilateral cooperation, and strategic media approaches. These efforts demonstrate the role of public communication and diplomacy in enhancing Indonesia's credibility and visibility in the global halal industry. The study highlights the significance of soft power and multi-stakeholder engagement in supporting Indonesia's goal to lead the global halal economy.
The rise of sexual abuse and violence that occur in campus environments often affect women. Minimal safe space for victims and unrest that fellow women have been haunted by frequent cases of abuse and sexual violence. In this case, it is necessary to have a massive involvement in addressing cases of gender abuse and equality through communities that are able to address, provide protection, and educate through various forms of communication media. Girl Up Community Universitas Indonesia (UI) & Girl Up UPN Veteran Jakarta (UPNVJ) plays an important role in addressing gender equality cases and women-related issues by supporting Women’s Empowerment in campus environments. Girl Up UI & Girl Up UPNVJ was selected as a research object because of significant involvement of women-related communication activities such as massive spread of information through digital platforms and face-to-face to the implementation of women empowerment programs in every area of life. The research also discussed communication media such as Instagram platform, Zoom Meeting, and Official Website used by Girl Up in socialising and educating the community and organising campaigns, especially in campus environments to be more concerned and able to address gender equality issues that should be fought for. The research used qualitative research methods conducted through a phenomenology approach with in-depth interview techniques and snowball sampling techniques. With a series of questions given to 6 (six) informants, it is found that the effectiveness of communication experience through online and offline platforms can become a communication tool and information dissemination to audiences. Girl Up UI and Girl Up UPNVJ successfully attract participants to support women's empowerment and to act on gender equality well.
study explored how Bluebird, a leading legacy taxi brand in Indonesia, sustains customer loyalty amidst the rise of digital ride-hailing services. Facing digital disruption, Bluebird’s strategy of blending tradition with innovation provides valuable insights into how established brands can adapt to a rapidly evolving market. a combination of statistical modelling and path analysis grounded in Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory, the study distributed structured questionnaires to 251 purposively selected respondents specifically individuals who has used Bluebird taxi services at least three times in the past three months in Jakarta to capture constructs such as sensory and affective experience, emotional attachment, brand satisfaction, and brand love. Statistical modelling via SmartPLS 3.0 and path analysis revealed that while brand experience significantly influences brand loyalty, brand satisfaction does not have a direct effect. Instead, emotional attachment and love mediate this relationship, with through the indicator of sustain commitment, where respondents showed a strong sense of belonging to the brand. These findings highlight that in a highly competitive urban mobility market, functional satisfaction is no longer sufficient; emotional connection is key. Practical strategies such as loyalty programs, driven marketing, and brand storytelling are recommended to enhance customer retention.
While Project-Based Learning (PBL) is widely recognised as an effective pedagogical approach in media education, significant gaps remain in understanding its implementation and impact in developing country contexts. Challenges such as resource constraints, industry-academia disconnects, and varying institutional capacities may limit PBL's effectiveness in preparing media broadcasting students for professional careers. This study examined these issues through a longitudinal investigation of PBL implementation at an Indonesian private university's media broadcasting laboratories. Using quantitative research analysis of student performance data across five core courses, the study reveals that PBL significantly enhances practical competencies when properly supported. Key findings show more than 60% of participants achieved top grades, with strong correlations between PBL participation and skill development. The study identifies industry-aligned projects and structured mentorship as critical success factors, while highlighting persistent challenges related to equipment access and time constraints. These results demonstrate PBL's potential to bridge the gap between academic training and industry needs in resource-constrained environments. The findings recommend that strategic investments in laboratory infrastructure, faculty development, and industry partnerships could help overcome implementation barriers and maximise PBL's benefits for media education in developing contexts.
The digital era has transformed political marketing through the collaboration of social media, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI), each of which offers complementary roles in shaping campaign strategies. This study investigates how these technologies are reconfiguring political communication by enabling data-driven, emotionally resonant, and personalised interactions between candidates and voters. The analysis is theoretically grounded in Political Market-Oriented Theory, which explains the strategic adaptation of political actors to voter demands; affective publics, which highlights how emotional expression and virality shape engagement in digital platforms; and surveillance capitalism, which frames the commodification of personal data and algorithmic control within political messaging practices. Using a qualitative analytical bibliometric approach, the study employs three main tools: VOSviewer for keyword co-occurrence analysis, R Studio for conceptual structure and thematic evolution mapping, and CiteSpace for co-citation clustering and timeline visualisation. The dataset consists of Scopus-indexed journal articles from 2015 to 2024 and is included in the open access. The study places a particular focus on non-Western democracies, with Indonesia as a case study, to highlight contextual challenges such as digital inequality and low digital literacy. The findings highlight strategic benefits such as targeted messaging, voter segmentation, and real-time feedback. However, they also raise ethical issues, including algorithmic bias, digital surveillance, and the threat of misinformation to democratic integrity. This study contributes to closing the literature gap on AI-based political marketing in emerging democracies and proposes normative guidelines for the ethical, inclusive, and transparent use of digital technologies in political campaigns.
This paper analyses the representation of the celebrity phenomenon in the Yowis Ben tetralogy (2018, 2019, 2021), which has become a fundamental aspect of modern Indonesian film. The researcher used a qualitative narrative analysis approach to examine how celebrity culture is portrayed in these films. This analysis examined story structure, character development, and visual components, highlighting the journey of a group of young individuals from the Javanese Arek Culture as they strive for popularity while preserving their cultural identity. The results indicate that this tetralogy positions celebrity culture as a remedy for desires related to social status, physical allure, affluence, and influence. The celebrity persona depicted in these films is intricately linked to the context of Javanese Arek culture, particularly in Malang, Indonesia. Cultural components, including language and intricate characters, enhance the representation of celebrity production. These films explain the intricacies of celebrity life while examining the motivations for attaining recognition, the techniques employed to gain it, the efforts to sustain a public persona, and the challenges encountered by celebrities.
The Korean Wave (Hallyu) phenomenon has formed a new communication pattern among K-Pop fans in Indonesia, including the ARMY Bone community in Bone Regency. This study examined the communication behaviour of the ARMY Bone community through Erving Goffman's Dramaturgy Theory, focusing on the formation of formalist and ritualistic impressions, as well as identity dynamics through the concept of front stage and backstage. This study used a qualitative method of a phenomenological approach, with observation techniques, in-depth interviews, and documentation of seven informants selected purposively. The results of the study show that ARMY Bone's communication behaviour is formed through verbal symbols (Korean terms, BTS songs, the word ‘Borahae’) and nonverbal (dress style, dance, facial expressions) that form a collective identity and impression as loyal fans. In the public space (front stage), members present themselves according to the role of the community, while in the private space (backstage) they show a more authentic personal identity. These findings strengthened the concept of dramaturgy that social identity is formed through performative and contextual self-presentation strategies, along with the dynamics of the community and popular culture they adopt. The implications of these findings suggest that fan communities such as ARMY Bone play a role in shaping young people's social identities through symbolic communication and self-presentation strategies, while also being social spaces that support local expressions of global culture.
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) not only depend on regulations, but also on effective communication and meaning-making processes to build a consistent safety culture through information dissemination, training, and continuous education. This study analysed the alignment among workers in raising awareness of occupational safety and health at PT Telkom Akses Regional 4 Central Java-DIY between field and non-field workers. This study used the concept of ‘sensemaking’, which is derived from organizational communication emphasizing the role of transformational leadership in instilling safety values, combined with the process of meaning-making through seven dimensions (based on identity construction, retrospective, perceptible environment, social, sustainable, focused on and by extracted cues, driven by feasibility rather than accuracy), enabling workers to internalise risks based on experience and incidents. This research employed a qualitative approach using a phenomenological method, with data collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis at PT Telkom Akses. The research findings indicate that the main challenges in safety culture transformation in companies include the gap between formal policies and field practices and the tendency of workers to ignore procedures because they are considered impractical. The integration of participatory strategies sharing experiences, technical improvements to increase motivation and participation, sharing workplace accident experiences, and transformational leadership (peer mentoring, gamification, storytelling) along with measurable indicators (Key Performance Indicators) based on OSH strengthen message cohesion, supported by double-loop learning for preventive incident documentation and critical reflection, resulting in OSH transformation as a collective responsibility through the internalization of safety values as professional identity.
Ciasmara Village in Bogor Regency offers cultural attractions like Celempungan music and the Seren Taun ritual, which are valuable assets within a Community-Based Tourism (CBT) model. This study analysed the communication network managing these events, emphasising the identification and role of central actors in local tourism governance. Using a descriptive quantitative approach and social network analysis, data were collected from 21 appointed tourism managers. UCINET VI software was employed to measure degree, closeness, betweenness, and eigenvector centrality. Results show that actor centrality significantly shapes the effectiveness of the CBT network. Otang Celempung emerged as the most central figure, actively facilitating communication and decision-making. Uday, acting as a liaison, connects otherwise separate groups. The findings highlight the need to strengthen the capacity of key actors to foster collaboration, preserve cultural heritage, and promote sustainable rural tourism.
Currently, strategic communication in supporting national defence policy faces increasingly complex challenges amid geopolitical dynamics, technological developments, and changing patterns of security threats. In reality, coordination between institutions is still a major challenge, especially in ensuring the integration of messages and synergy of cross-sector communication. In addition, the rampant disinformation and digital propaganda also threaten national security and stability, thus requiring strategic efforts to counter negative narratives that can weaken support for defence policies. How is strategic communication designed and implemented by the Ministry of Defence to support national defence policies? The purpose of this study is to analyse and identify the role of strategic communication in supporting the implementation of national defence policies, with a focus on the effectiveness of information delivery, coordination between stakeholders, and mobilisation of public support. The theory used in this research is Strategic Communication Theory developed by Hallahan, Holtzhausen, van Ruler, Verčič, dan Sriramesh 2007. The research method employed is a literature study through reviewing, analysing and synthesising various relevant literature sources. The results generated found that there are several indicators to realise strategic communication in supporting the National Defence policy and that is by integrating communication adaptability, inter-Institutional Coordination, Effectiveness of Communication Channels and Public participation, and involvement so that strategic communication can be an effective tool in strengthening the legitimacy and implementation of national defence policy. The research indicators are communication planning, target audience determination, message framing & narrative development, channel effectiveness, inter-agency coordination, evaluation and feedback mechanism
This article analysed the controversial public statement made by political consultant Hasan Nasbi, “just cook the pig’s head”, in response to an act of symbolic intimidation toward a journalist. Using Michel Foucault’s discourse theory as the primary analytical framework—focusing on statement analysis, historical context, and power relations—this study investigates how language operates as a mechanism of power that normalises symbolic violence, marginalises dissent, and sustains hegemonic authority. The findings show that Nasbi’s language is not merely rhetorical but functions ideologically: it delegitimises journalistic victimhood, redefines social norms of seriousness and threat, and enacts a regime of truth that reinforces the asymmetry of power in public discourse. Drawing from contemporary discourse studies, the study argues that such statements reproduce a surveillance-based form of control, wherein symbolic aggression is trivialised, and political accountability is eroded. This research contributes to the growing field of critical discourse analysis by demonstrating how everyday political utterances carry deep ideological functions and shape the boundaries of public meaning, legitimacy, and justice.
