Instagram and Political Power: How Social Media Enhances the Self-Image of Political Actors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30983/al-jamahiria.v3i1.9925Keywords:
Instagram, political communication, Bourdieu, West Sumatra Regional Election 2024Abstract
Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis penggunaan Instagram oleh politisi untuk menciptakan citra positif dalam mempengaruhi pemilih. Artikel ini akan menganalisis secara komperhensih penggunaan Instagram oleh calon gubernur dan wakil gubernur Sumatera Barat dalam kontestasi Pemilihan Kepala Daerah (Pilkada) 2024 menggunakan analisis konten kualitatif menggunakan kerangka Pierre Bourdieu: habitus, modal, field. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa Instagram telah menjadi arena politik strategis bagi para politisi, dimana kekuasaan simbolik diperjuangkan melalui unggahan visual, gambar, video pendek, dan hastag. Pasangan Mahyeldi–Vasco secara konsisten memanfaatkan modal simbolik, budaya, dan sosial untuk memperkuat branding mereka dalam berbagai posting, terutama melalui hashtag #Gerakcepatuntuksumbar. Sebaliknya, akibat ketidakkonsistenan dalam memposting informasi dan penggunaan hashtag, pasangan Epyardi-Ekos belum optimal memanfaatkan Instagram sebagai alat komunikasi politik. Strategi komunikasi politik melalui Instagram ini menjadi salah satu keunggulan pasangan Mahyeldi-Vasco dalam membentuk opini publik di Instagram. Studi ini menyoroti pentingnya aktor politik mengelola narasi, menjaga konsistensi posting, dan berkolaborasi dalam memanfaatkan modal untuk membangun dan memperkuat citra positif. Temuan ini memberikan kontribusi teoritis dan praktis dalam memahami dinamika politik di media digital serta memperluas pengetahuan tentang strategi komunikasi politik kontemporer dalam konteks pemilihan berbasis media sosial.
This article explores and analyzes politicians' use of Instagram to create a positive image and influence voters. This study will comprehensively examine the use of Instagram by the candidates for governor and deputy governor of West Sumatra in the 2024 regional head elections (Pilkada) using a qualitative content analysis approach based on Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical framework: habitus, capital, and field. The research found that Instagram has become a strategic political arena where symbolic power is contested through visual posts, images, short videos, and hashtags. The Mahyeldi–Vasco pair consistently leveraged symbolic, cultural, and social capital to strengthen their branding in various posts, particularly through the hashtag #Gerakcepatuntuksumbar. Conversely, due to inconsistencies in posting information and hashtag usage, the Epyardi-Ekos pair has not optimally utilized Instagram as a political communication tool. This political communication strategy via Instagram has become one of the strengths of the Mahyeldi-Vasco pair in shaping public opinion on Instagram. This study highlights the importance of political actors managing narratives, maintaining post consistency, and collaborating on capital to build and strengthen a positive image. These findings contribute theoretically and practically to understanding political dynamics in digital media and expanding knowledge about contemporary political communication strategies in the context of social media-based electoral contests, particularly on Instagram.
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