Digital Political Literacy Through Social Media for First-time Voters Towards the 2024 General Election

Abstract

The dynamics of Indonesian politics go hand-in-hand with the advancement of technology, information, and communication. Discussion spaces, interactions, campaigns, or online criticism have emerged. Political communication takes place through internet-connected media, namely digital media—especially social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok—which have become very popular. Political parties use them to attract young people, as active users who will later become first-time voters in the 2024 election. The focus of this research rests on the question “how is digital political literacy through social media for first-time voters towards the 2024 election?” The research objectives are as follows: explain the use of Instagram as a medium of political communication for political parties, analyze digital political literacy of first-time voters through Instagram. The method used is a case study. Primary data were obtained through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, while secondary data were obtained from relevant and current literature. The research was conducted in Jakarta and its surroundings. The data were analyzed using Laswell and Mc.Nair’s political communication thinking. Meanwhile, political literacy will be analyzed using Bernard Crick’s indicators, which include knowledge, attitudes, and skills. As a result, political literacy of first-time voters through Instagram social media has made them more knowledgeable about the world of politics. However, this has not been able to make them determine their attitude in the upcoming general election, let alone discuss politics in discussion spaces, either virtually or face-to-face.