Anthroposia: Journal of Social and Human Development
Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): March: Anthroposia: Journal of Social and Human Development

The Use of Social Media In Building the Political Image of Budi and Agis in the 2024 Serang City Elections

Asty Dina Mardina (Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa)



Article Info

Publish Date
26 Mar 2026

Abstract

This study examines the strategic utilization of social media platforms in constructing the political image of Budi Rustandi and Nur Agis Aulia during the 2024 Serang City Election. Employing an empirical qualitative approach with an instrumental case study design, this inquiry analyzes how digital campaign operations cultivate political branding and manage candidate impressions among young voters. Primary data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with key campaign actors and targeted youth demographics, supplemented by non-participant observation of official social media repositories. The findings reveal that Instagram and TikTok were deployed in a highly differentiated manner to maximize algorithmic reach and validate candidate credibility. By projecting a carefully curated balance between legislative competence and grassroots populist values, the campaign generated significant cognitive alignment within the youth electorate. Crucially, the final results demonstrate that while digital communication offers immense cost efficiency in building widespread political visibility, actual electoral conversion relies on the strategic integration of virtual image formation and physical network mobilization.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

anthroposia

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Subject

Description

Anthroposia: Journal of Social and Human Development is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to publishing high-quality scholarly works in the fields of social sciences and human development. The journal provides an international platform for researchers, academics, practitioners, and ...