Digital convergence and the empowerment dilemma in Indonesian alternative media

Abstract

This study examines We Radio Indonesia (WRI) as a qualitative case study of media convergence in a youth-oriented alternative media context between April 2020 and February 2023. The research uses virtual ethnography and multimodal text analysis, backed by ongoing online observation and in-depth interviews with ten participants, including managers, programmers, broadcasters, and listeners. The findings suggest that WRI used social media and online radio broadcasting to facilitate forms of youth participation, provide spaces for entrepreneurial learning, and promote local cultural content. These practices indicate how community-based media may support forms of social and economic engagement in Global South settings. However, interview and observational data also indicate that limited funding, organizational instability, and uneven digital infrastructure constrained WRI’s long-term sustainability. These factors affected the station’s ability to maintain consistent production and operations. This study moves beyond viewing media convergence as a purely technical process. It highlights how organizational capacity, management practices, and local socio-cultural context shape digital media practices. The findings offer context-specific insights that contribute to ongoing discussions of media convergence and youth-oriented digital media in Indonesia.