Representation of Political Actor's Identity in Social Media (Analysis on Instagram accounts of Anies Baswedan, Ridwan Kamil and Ganjar Pranowo)

Abstract

The expansive range of internet access has affected the patterns on many online platforms or applications usage by Indonesian people for self-actualization. Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms which allows users to display images or short-duration videos accompanied by short text to express the message conveyed. Instagram is also a widely used platform by public figures, including regional heads. The three most popular are Anies Baswedan, Ridwan Kamil and Ganjar Pranowo who were analyzed in this research. This research used a qualitative method with data sources sourced from the contents uploaded on the Instagram accounts of the three figures which are then analyzed using communication theory about identity by Michael Hecht. The research result analysis showed that there are four levels of identity posessed by the individuals, namely the personal layer, enactment layer, relational and communal layers in the Subjective and Ascribed dimensions by the political actors based on the content uploaded in their Instagram account. In terms of Subjective and Ascribed dimensions, the three figures have the same identity, for example, they look optimistic, have a high work ethic, and have good relationships with many people. However, there are also some differences, for example, Anies Baswedan tends to be unresponsive to public comments while Ridwan Kamil and Ganjar Pranowo are very interactive.

 

Keywords: Social Media, Instagram, Identity Communication Theory