WhatsApp Groups and Local Democracy in Indonesia: Political Mobilization and Information Circulation in Rural Communities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65815/sae27m59Keywords:
WhatsApp, rural communities, political communication, local democracy, IndonesiaAbstract
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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