Scroll, share, protest: Political efficacy and mobilization among Indonesia’s youth

Abstract

This paper examines how university students in Indonesia comprehend and participate in politics through social media, using the 2024 Peringatan Darurat campaign as a case study. Based on in-depth interviews with student protesters from Universitas Tidar, the study examines how political awareness evolved from online interactions to street protests. Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram acted not just as news sources but as spaces for expressing anger, building moral arguments, and negotiating collective action. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, the research explores how personal attitudes, peer expectations, and perceived capacity shape students’ decisions to act politically. The findings suggest that rather than being disengaged, many students are actively navigating politics in digital spaces, often motivated by a sense of responsibility rather than formal political affiliation. This study argues for a deeper understanding of youth political participation as reflective, relational, and often constrained, yet still powerful in its own right.