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All Journal Indonesian Discourse on Communication, Democracy, and Political Movements
Andi Luhur Bagaskara
Universitas Bengkulu

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WhatsApp Groups and Local Democracy in Indonesia: Political Mobilization and Information Circulation in Rural Communities Andi Luhur Bagaskara
Indonesian Discourse on Communication, Democracy, and Political Movements Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): January, 2026
Publisher : COLLEGIUM JUSTICIA INDONESIA

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.65815/sae27m59

Abstract

WhatsApp has become an important communication infrastructure for Indonesian communities, particularly in rural areas where neighborhood, religious, family, and community groups use the platform for everyday communication. During electoral periods, these networks can become important spaces for political information, campaign mobilization, and political discussion. This article examines the role of WhatsApp groups in local democratic participation in rural Indonesia. Using qualitative digital ethnographic analysis, the study explores political messages, community discussions, mobilization practices, and the circulation of political information. The article argues that WhatsApp enables decentralized political communication by connecting citizens through existing social relationships. However, the same interpersonal trust that makes WhatsApp effective for communication may also facilitate the rapid spread of misleading political information. The study proposes a community-based digital literacy framework involving local leaders, civil society organizations, and electoral institutions. The article concludes that WhatsApp should be understood as an important informal political communication infrastructure whose democratic effects depend heavily on the social networks through which information circulates.
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