Public Engagement and Perception of Instagram Based Political Messaging: A Study on Indonesia’s 2024 Presidential campaign

In the modern world, the way people choose their leaders has shifted from the town square to the smartphone screen. This shift relies on a fundamental change in how political messages are sent and received. Instead of relying solely on speeches or television ads, candidates now use social media to share stories, images, and short videos directly with voters. This process is not just about broadcasting information; it is about building a relationship. When a voter sees a post, they do not just read a policy; they form a feeling about the person behind the screen. This feeling, known as perception, is shaped by how real the candidate seems, how much they share their personal life, and whether their message fits with the voter's own values and culture. In countries like Indonesia, where community ties and shared beliefs are deeply woven into daily life, this emotional connection can be just as important as a candidate's resume. Understanding how these digital interactions work helps explain why some candidates connect deeply with the public while others, despite having strong policies, fail to spark a conversation.

In Indonesia, a nation with a massive and youthful population, the 2024 presidential election became a test case for this new form of communication. Researchers set out to understand how Instagram, a platform built on photos and videos, influenced the way voters engaged with the three main presidential candidates. To do this, they looked at the actual content posted by the candidates and asked thousands of people how they felt about what they saw. The team analyzed 300 posts from the official accounts of Ganjar Pranowo, Prabowo Subianto, and Anies Baswedan during the official campaign period. They counted how many people liked and commented on each post, and they categorized the posts by what they showed: was it a policy speech, a family moment, a religious gathering, or a casual day in the life? Alongside this, the researchers surveyed 1,200 Instagram users across the country to measure their trust in the candidates, how relatable they found them, and how much the posts influenced their desire to vote for them.

The study revealed that the most successful posts were not the ones filled with dry statistics or formal announcements. Instead, the content that drew the most attention and sparked the most conversation was visual storytelling that felt personal and authentic. Videos and photos showing candidates interacting with ordinary people, spending time with their families, or participating in daily activities generated significantly higher engagement than posts focused solely on political platforms. The language used in the captions mattered just as much as the images. Posts that used a conversational, informal tone, or that asked open-ended questions, invited people to talk back. In contrast, stiff, formal language often led to silence. The data showed that while one candidate received the highest number of total likes, another candidate generated more meaningful conversations and comments, suggesting that the type of engagement was just as important as the volume.

When the researchers asked the voters directly, a clear pattern emerged regarding what made a candidate feel trustworthy. The survey results indicated that voters were more likely to intend to support a candidate if they felt a strong emotional connection and perceived the candidate as authentic. In other words, the feeling that a candidate was "real" and "close" to the people was a stronger driver of support than the feeling that the candidate was simply credible or knowledgeable. This was particularly true for younger voters, who responded most strongly to content that felt human and culturally relevant. The study found that messages which tapped into local culture, used regional languages, or highlighted religious and moral values resonated deeply, reinforcing the idea that in Indonesia, voting is often a social and cultural act rather than a purely rational calculation of policy benefits.

The researchers concluded that Instagram has become a unique political space where the boundary between a leader's public image and their private life is blurred. This environment rewards candidates who can perform empathy and show their humanity through visual narratives. The study suggests that for political communication to succeed in this digital age, it must move beyond traditional rhetoric and embrace the logic of social media: personal stories, emotional resonance, and visual authenticity. While the research focused on one platform and one election, the findings point to a broader truth about how democracy functions in the digital era. Voters are not just looking for answers to problems; they are looking for a connection to the person who might solve them. The candidates who understood this, and who used their digital presence to build that bridge, were the ones who captured the public's imagination and engagement most effectively.