TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Govern-fluencers: How Prabowo's government shapes public opinion
While social media narratives continue to be carefully orchestrated, real-life priorities raise serious concerns.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
This handout picture taken and released by the Presidential Palace on March 8, 2025 shows President Prabowo Subianto (center) visiting a flood-affected area in Bekasi, West Java.
(AFP/Indonesian Presidential Palace)
I
ndonesia is no stranger to narrative control by the state. During the New Order era (1966–1998), we had Harmoko, the minister of information, who faithfully opened each press conference broadcast on state TV channel with the sacred phrase: “Menurut petunjuk Bapak Presiden” (According to the President’s instructions).
This wasn’t just a formality, it was a clear signal that what followed was the state’s official version of events, carefully curated, packaged and disseminated with a specific purpose.
Today, we no longer rely on a single state-run TV channel. However, the essence of such communication strategies remains, only transformed into a more modern format: Social media influencers.
The administration of President Prabowo Subianto understands well that in the digital age shaping public opinion is most effectively done through figures with millions of followers on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. No longer a single voice on one TV station, but thousands of voices echoing the same narrative, filling our social media feeds daily.
This dominance is most visible on platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, where government-backed influencers thrive due to high engagement rates and algorithm-driven exposure.
TikTok alone has 125 million Indonesian users, who spend 38 hours per month scrolling through its endless content. YouTube reaches 139 million users, making it a primary medium for long-form narratives, while Instagram’s 100.9 million users ensure that curated images and short videos continuously reinforce government messaging.
Meanwhile, X (formerly Twitter), with only 24.7 million users, remains a space for more critical discourse, often resistant to these orchestrated narratives. While pro-government content floods TikTok and Instagram, X users tend to scrutinize rather than amplify official messaging, leading to a stark contrast in how political narratives are shaped across platforms.
