What motivates digital activism? The case of the Save KPK movement in Indonesia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Digital activism has enormous ability to amplify offline and online civic activism and political participation. In Indonesia, digital activism has successfully supported social and political change in recent years. Motivation is an important component of digital activism that can stimulate movements, and can be determined by access to and use of digital media. This article presents a case study of motivations and digital activism in an online political movement in Indonesia through interviews and focus group discussions with fifty-two (n = 52) Indonesian young people (activists and students) who were familiar with digital media and the Save KPK 2015 movement in Indonesia. It investigates the digital activism of the Save KPK movement and the strategies employed to support the movement. The case study offers a deeper understanding of the Save KPK movement (which aimed to support an institution dedicated to eradicating corruption in Indonesia) and provides insights into the motivations of activists who digitally supported the political movement. Its findings explore how internal factors such as experience and beliefs fundamentally influenced young Indonesians to participate in the Save KPK movement using digital media, indicating that intrinsic is an important factor in delivering credible information and participating in the movement. Delivering truthful information about the KPK institution through digital media was seen as vital to combat the distribution of misinformation, such as fake news or hoaxes, and reinforce the political participation that helps to sustain Indonesian democracy as well as that of other democratic countries.