Political Participation Of Society On Instagram Social Media: A Case Study Of The #Resetindonesia (17+8) Movement In 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33751/jhss.v10i2.194Keywords:
political participation, digital mobilization, InstagraM, #ResetIndonesia, 17+8, InstagramAbstract
Instagram has quickly become a space for public political participation, as shown by hashtag movements like #ResetIndonesia in 2025. This movement began after a policy increased housing allowances for Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) members, which many people felt did not reflect current social and economic conditions. This study explores how digital platforms shape and encourage political mobilization, focusing on Indonesia, a country with one of the largest Instagram user communities. The research uses a qualitative method that combines netnography and in-depth interviews to understand participation in the #ResetIndonesia movement on Instagram. The netnography analyzed 30 Instagram posts with the #ResetIndonesia hashtag, and interviews were held with six people: two movement initiators, two who joined both online and offline, and two who participated only online. The main ways people took part were by expressing political dissatisfaction, using satire, and offering criticism through comments, sharing posts, and posting Instagram Stories. Mobilization took place by choosing Instagram as the main platform, spreading content through influencers, and depending on communities and organizations to support offline collective action. The analysis draws on Charles Tilly's Resource Mobilization Theory, as well as ideas from Theocharis and van Deth about digital political participation and from Gibson and Cantijoch about hybrid participation. The findings show that Instagram is a strong tool for increasing political participation, but turning digital engagement into real-world action still relies on support from communities and organizations outside the platform. Digital platforms alone cannot drive political mobilization.
References
[1] A. R. A. Kumara, "Apa Arti Hashtag Reset Indonesia?" IDN Times, Sep. 10, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.idntimes.com/life/inspiration/apa-arti-hashtag-reset-indonesia-00-98756-bq2nvs
[2] Reuters Staff, "Indonesian Police Clash with Protesters against Parliamentarians' Salaries," Reuters, Aug. 25, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesian-police-clash-with-protesters-against-parliamentarians-salaries-2025-08-25/
[3] N. P. Bestari, "Kronologi Demo 25–29 Agustus: Demo DPR Melebar Jadi Amarah ke Polisi," CNBC Indonesia, Aug. 30, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/news/20250830145726-4-662882/kronologi-demo-25-29-agustus-demo-dpr-melebar-jadi-amarah-ke-polisi
[4] Radar Solo, "Tagar Reset Indonesia Menggema di Media Sosial, Apa Artinya dan Siapa yang Dimaksud?" RadarSolo.com, Sep. 2, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://radarsolo.jawapos.com/nasional/846519899/tagar-reset-indonesia-menggema-di-media-sosial-apa-artinya-dan-siapa-yang-dimaksud
[5] D. Harff and D. Schmuck, "Is Authenticity Key? Mobilization by Social Media Influencers versus Celebrities and Young People's Political Participation," Psychology & Marketing, vol. 41, no. 11, pp. 2757–2771, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22082
[6] K. Meilina, "Viral Tagar #ResetIndonesia, Apa Maknanya?" Katadata.co.id, Sep. 3, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://katadata.co.id/digital/teknologi/68b7a59db2f57/viral-tagar-resetindonesia-apa-maknanya
[7] E. Trikarinaputri and D. Ernis, "Fakta-Fakta Demo 1 September di DPR," Tempo, Sep. 2, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.tempo.co/politik/fakta-fakta-demo-1-september-di-dpr-2065697
[8] E. Hale, "Hong Kong Protests: Tech War Opens Up with Doxxing of Protesters and Police," The Guardian, Sep. 20, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/20/hong-kong-protests-tech-war-opens-up-with-doxxing-of-protesters-and-police
[9] A. Virlinda and D. A. Candraningrum, "Peran Instagram Reels dalam Strategi Digital Public Relations Event Megabuild 2025," Kiwari, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 107–117, Mar. 2026. https://doi.org/10.24912/ki.v5i1.37004
[10] GoodStats, "Simak Tren Pengguna Instagram di Indonesia 2018–2025," Sep. 10, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://data.goodstats.id/statistic/simak-tren-pengguna-instagram-di-indonesia-2018-2025-DfC
[11] DataReportal, Digital 2026: Indonesia. Kepios, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-indonesia
[12] NapoleonCat, Instagram Users in Indonesia, Sep. 10, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://napoleoncat.com/stats/instagram-users-in-indonesia/
[13] Y. Theocharis, S. Boulianne, K. Koc-Michalska, and B. Bimber, "Platform Affordances and Political Participation: How Social Media Reshape Political Engagement," West European Politics, vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 788–811, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2022.2087410
[14] Kompas, "Perjalanan 17+8 Tuntutan Rakyat, dari Diskusi Influencer sampai Respons DPR RI dan TNI," Kompas.com, Sep. 6, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2025/09/06/093000065/perjalanan-17-8-tuntutan-rakyat-dari-diskusi-influencer-sampai-respons-dpr
[15] C. Tilly, From Mobilization to Revolution. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1978.
[16] J. Van Stekelenburg and B. Klandermans, "The social psychology of protest," Current Sociology, vol. 71, no. 1, pp. 3–22, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/00113921221134564
[17] J. Earl and K. Kimport, Digitally Enabled Social Change: Activism in the Internet Age. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2021.
[18] Y. Theocharis and J. W. van Deth, The Meaning of Political Participation Across Times and Spaces. Routledge, 2018.
[19] R. Gibson and M. Cantijoch, "Conceptualizing and Measuring Participation in the Age of the Internet: Is Online Political Engagement Really Different from Offline?" The Journal of Politics, vol. 75, no. 3, pp. 701–716, 2013.
[20] U. Klinger and J. Svensson, "The platformization of politics: How digital platforms shape political participation," Information, Communication & Society, vol. 24, no. 9, pp. 1239–1255, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1971974
[21] H. Ulya and Y. Indainanto, "Mobilisasi Gerakan Opini Digital #TolakRUUKesehatan di Media Sosial," Jurnal Communio: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 146–156, 2024.
[22] M. I. Bahriansyah, S. Anriani, Mulyadi, I. Subono, and P. Nurisnaeny, "Mobilisasi Partisipasi Politik Generasi Z dalam Aksi Indonesia Gelap 2025," JMPIS: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Ilmu Sosial, vol. 6, no. 5, 2025. https://doi.org/10.38035/jmpis.v6i5
[23] J. W. Creswell and J. D. Creswell, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 5th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2018.
[24] R. V. Kozinets, Netnography: The Essential Guide to Qualitative Social Media Research, 3rd ed. London: SAGE Publications, 2020.
[25] O. Robinson, "Probing in Qualitative Research Interviews: Theory and Practice," Qualitative Research in Psychology, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 382–397, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2023.2238625
[26] M. B. Miles, A. M. Huberman, and J. Saldaña, Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook, 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2014.
[27] DataReportal, Digital 2025: Indonesia. Kepios, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-indonesia
[28] W. M. Lim, "What Is Qualitative Research? An Overview and Guidelines," Australasian Marketing Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 199–229, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1177/14413582241264619
[29] Eriyanto, Metode Netnografi: Pendekatan Kualitatif dalam Memahami Budaya Pengguna Media Sosial. Bandung: PT. Remaja Rosdakarya, 2021.
[30] DPR RI [@dpr_ri], "Langkah Konkret DPR RI Jawab Tuntutan Rakyat," Instagram, Sep. 5, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOOm-zgE1zC/
[31] Wandi, "DPR RI Umumkan Enam Keputusan, Tanggapi 17+8 Tuntutan Rakyat," InfoPublik, Sep. 6, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://infopublik.id/kategori/nasional-politik-hukum/936557/dpr-ri-umumkan-enam-keputusan-tanggapi-17-8-tuntutan-rakyat
[32] R. Ratcliffe, “Indonesia protests: president scraps lawmakers’ perks in bid to calm tensions,” the Guardian, Sep. 2025.
