Shiba Andini, Dita Widia Adhani, Rika Sartika

PERAN MEDIA SOSIAL DALAM MENINGKATKAN KESADARAN POLITIK GENERASI MUDA: STUDI KASUS GENERASI MUDA KOTA BANDUNG DI ERA DIGITAL

Introduction

Peran media sosial dalam meningkatkan kesadaran politik generasi muda: studi kasus generasi muda kota bandung di era digital. Kaji peran media sosial tingkatkan kesadaran politik generasi muda Bandung era digital. Paparan tinggi, pemahaman bervariasi. Perlu edukasi politik digital agar partisipasi lebih bermakna.

Abstract

Di era digital seperti sekarang, media sosial telah menjadi bagian tak terpisahkan dari kehidupan generasi muda, termasuk dalam hal memperoleh informasi politik. Penelitian ini berfokus pada bagaimana media sosial berperan dalam membentuk kesadaran politik anak muda di Kota Bandung. Selama tiga hari, sebanyak 25 responden berusia 17–25 tahun mengisi kuesioner daring yang disebarkan oleh peneliti. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa sebagian besar dari mereka memang sering terpapar konten politik, khususnya di platform seperti Instagram, TikTok, dan YouTube. Meski begitu, tidak semua benar-benar memahami isi konten yang mereka lihat. Sebagian bahkan masih bingung membedakan antara informasi yang akurat dan yang bersifat manipulatif. Walau demikian, media sosial tetap dianggap sebagai sarana yang efektif dalam memperkenalkan isu-isu politik karena tampilannya yang menarik dan mudah diakses. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa agar literasi politik generasi muda meningkat, dibutuhkan upaya pendidikan politik digital yang lebih terstruktur dan sesuai dengan gaya komunikasi mereka. Ketika digunakan secara tepat, media sosial bisa menjadi jembatan penting menuju partisipasi politik yang lebih sadar dan bermakna di kalangan anak muda. ABTRACT In the contemporary digital era, social media has emerged as a dominant platform for information dissemination, particularly among the younger generation. This study investigates the role of social media in enhancing political awareness among youth in Bandung, Indonesia. Data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to 25 respondents aged 17–25 over a three-day period. The findings indicate that while a majority of respondents frequently engage with political content on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, only a limited proportion demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the conveyed messages. Furthermore, many respondents report difficulties in discerning between credible political information and propaganda. Nevertheless, social media is perceived as an effective tool for communicating political discourse due to its visual appeal and accessibility. These results underscore the necessity of implementing structured digital political education initiatives to improve political literacy among youth. With strategic and responsible utilization, social media holds significant potential to foster informed and meaningful political participation among the younger demographic.  

Review

This study tackles a highly pertinent issue concerning the intersection of digital media and youth political engagement in the contemporary era. By focusing on young people in Bandung, the research offers a regional snapshot of how social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube serve as primary conduits for political information. The finding that while youth are frequently exposed to political content and perceive social media as an effective, accessible tool, their comprehensive understanding and ability to discern credible information remains limited, underscores a critical challenge in digital citizenship. This insight is valuable as it moves beyond mere exposure rates to touch upon the qualitative aspect of information processing among the younger demographic. However, the methodology employed presents significant limitations that impact the generalizability and depth of the findings. The study's reliance on a small sample size of just 25 respondents, collected over a mere three-day period via an online questionnaire, severely restricts the conclusions that can be drawn about "generasi muda Kota Bandung" or the broader youth population. While indicating a trend, such a small and potentially self-selected sample cannot provide robust evidence for the prevalence of understanding or confusion regarding political content. Deeper qualitative insights, perhaps through interviews or focus groups, would have been invaluable to fully explore *why* respondents struggle with differentiation and *how* their political awareness is genuinely shaped, aspects that a simple questionnaire is unlikely to capture adequately. Despite these methodological constraints, the research effectively identifies a crucial area for intervention: the necessity for structured digital political education. The study's concluding recommendation highlights a pathway for transforming passive exposure into active, informed participation. Future research should endeavor to build upon these initial findings by employing more robust methodologies, including larger, more representative samples, mixed-methods approaches that combine quantitative breadth with qualitative depth, and potentially longitudinal designs to track the evolution of political literacy over time. This would provide a more comprehensive and actionable understanding of how social media can truly be leveraged to foster meaningful political engagement among youth.

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