ARCHIVES
VOL. 7, ISSUE 2 (2025)
Digital political polarization and youth political participation in Indonesia: A sociological analysis of social media, political identity, and deliberative democracy
Authors
Abd Halim
Abstract
The rapid expansion of social media has transformed the ways young
people encounter political information, construct political identities, and
participate in public life. In Indonesia, platforms such as TikTok and X have
become important arenas of political socialization and expression, while
algorithmic curation, selective exposure, and networked interaction may
contribute to fragmented political communication. This study examines how
digital political polarization shapes youth political participation in
Indonesia through social media, political identity, and deliberative
interaction. Using a qualitative descriptive-analytical approach, the study
draws on literature research and qualitative examination of publicly accessible
political communication on social media. The analysis is informed by Jürgen
Habermas’s concept of the deliberative public sphere and Shanto Iyengar’s
perspective on affective polarization. The findings indicate that social media
functions as an arena of political socialization in which algorithmic curation
interacts with user preferences, social networks, and political identities to
shape patterns of political exposure and interaction. Political identity can
strengthen collective solidarity and mobilization, but may also intensify
ingroup–outgroup boundaries and affective polarization. These processes
transform youth political participation into diverse forms, ranging from
political expression and digital mobilization to selective engagement, fatigue,
and withdrawal. The study argues that the central democratic challenge is not
the existence of political disagreement itself, but the extent to which
digitally mediated interaction enables or constrains meaningful engagement
across political differences. Strengthening critical digital literacy and
inclusive deliberative practices is therefore important for sustaining a more
socially inclusive digital public sphere.
Download
Pages:100-114
How to cite this article:
Abd Halim "Digital political polarization and youth political participation in Indonesia: A sociological analysis of social media, political identity, and deliberative democracy". International Journal of Sociology and Political Science, Vol 7, Issue 2, 2025, Pages 100-114
Pdf, Certificate, Cover Page, Index Page, Editorial Page, Accept Letter
Please enter the email address corresponding to this article submission.