Cyber Troops, Online Manipulation of Public Opinion and Co-optation of Indonesia’s Cybersphere

Cyber Troops, Online Manipulation of Public Opinion and Co-optation of Indonesia’s Cybersphere PDF Author: Yatun Sastramidjaja
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN: 9815011502
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 35

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Book Description
Organized propaganda and public opinion manipulation are increasing in Indonesia’s cybersphere. Specifically, since 2019, there has been a marked rise of cyber troop campaigns that serve to mobilize public consensus for controversial government policies. Cyber troop operations played a crucial role in three controversial events in which public opinion had been initially critical of the government policy at issue. These were, first, the revision of the Law on the Corruption Eradication Commission in September 2019; second, the launch of the New Normal policy during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020; and third, the passing of the Omnibus Law for Job Creation in October 2020. In all three cases, there is clear evidence of cyber troops manipulating public opinion in support of government policy. In all three cases, the cyber troops manufactured consent by flooding social media with narratives that promoted the governing elite’s agenda, often using deceptive messages and disinformation that were amplified by numerous “buzzer” and “bot” accounts. Thereby they effectively drowned out oppositional discourses on social media and neutralized dissent, especially as mainstream media simultaneously echoed the cyber troops’ narratives. The ever more systematic use of cyber troops—and the considerable resources spent on such operations—indicates increasing co-optation of Indonesia’s cybersphere for elite interests. This threatens to undermine the quality of public debate and democracy in Indonesia because cyber troop operations not only feed public opinion with disinformation but also prevent citizens from scrutinizing and evaluating the governing elite’s behaviour and policy-making processes, which further exacerbates Indonesia’s ongoing democratic regression.

Cyber Troops, Online Manipulation of Public Opinion and Co-optation of Indonesia’s Cybersphere

Cyber Troops, Online Manipulation of Public Opinion and Co-optation of Indonesia’s Cybersphere PDF Author: Yatun Sastramidjaja
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN: 9815011502
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 35

Get Book Here

Book Description
Organized propaganda and public opinion manipulation are increasing in Indonesia’s cybersphere. Specifically, since 2019, there has been a marked rise of cyber troop campaigns that serve to mobilize public consensus for controversial government policies. Cyber troop operations played a crucial role in three controversial events in which public opinion had been initially critical of the government policy at issue. These were, first, the revision of the Law on the Corruption Eradication Commission in September 2019; second, the launch of the New Normal policy during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020; and third, the passing of the Omnibus Law for Job Creation in October 2020. In all three cases, there is clear evidence of cyber troops manipulating public opinion in support of government policy. In all three cases, the cyber troops manufactured consent by flooding social media with narratives that promoted the governing elite’s agenda, often using deceptive messages and disinformation that were amplified by numerous “buzzer” and “bot” accounts. Thereby they effectively drowned out oppositional discourses on social media and neutralized dissent, especially as mainstream media simultaneously echoed the cyber troops’ narratives. The ever more systematic use of cyber troops—and the considerable resources spent on such operations—indicates increasing co-optation of Indonesia’s cybersphere for elite interests. This threatens to undermine the quality of public debate and democracy in Indonesia because cyber troop operations not only feed public opinion with disinformation but also prevent citizens from scrutinizing and evaluating the governing elite’s behaviour and policy-making processes, which further exacerbates Indonesia’s ongoing democratic regression.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Law, Social, and Political Science (ICSP 2023)

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Law, Social, and Political Science (ICSP 2023) PDF Author: Achmad Nurmandi
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 2384761943
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description
This is an open access book. The study program of Government Studies and Political Science has been playing significant roles in building best practices of good governance and political ethics through scientific research and community development and opening a space for academic discussion with the main concern “Social and Political Issues”. These activities are in line with the Universitas Jambi’s vision to be “a world-class entrepreneurship university” based on environment and agrotechnology. As part of the efforts to provide a space for academic dialogue at a global level, we organize an international conference that aims to develop scientific knowledge, build institutional capacity, and strengthen networking. This conference raises the issue of “The Emerging Technology & Digital Inclusive on Contemporary Social and Political Issues” to capture the phenomenon of social and political issues at local, national, and international levels. The selection of this topic is based on the vision and mission of study programs, faculty, as well as Universitas Jambi.

Rhizome vs Regime: Southeast Asia’s Digitally Mediated Youth Movements

Rhizome vs Regime: Southeast Asia’s Digitally Mediated Youth Movements PDF Author: Yatun Sastramidjaja
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN: 9815104217
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 35

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Book Description
In Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar, democratic regression and the reconsolidation of authoritarian regimes have triggered the rise of social media-driven protest movements. These are pioneered by a new generation of activist youth, distinguishing themselves from previous student and youth movements by the digitally mediated, decentralized and diverse nature of their protest. While experimenting with digitally mediated repertoires of action adopted and adapted from similar struggles elsewhere, these protesters forge transnational links that give rise to new protest assemblages across and beyond the region. This is exemplified by the social media-based #MilkTeaAlliance, in which the distinct protests in Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and other countries are conjoined through extended solidarity and affinity ties in a common “generational” struggle against entrenched authoritarianism. The youth resistance in Hong Kong was instrumental in driving this trend. Like a “rhizome” (Deleuze and Guattari 1987), these movements are characterized by connectivity, heterogeneity, multiplicity and “unbreakable” expansion. This allows for a fluid participation of various activist and non-activist groups (such as K-poppers) and the inclusion of various issues and demands in the protest, which merge into the cause of fighting systemic injustice. It also heightens the movements’ viability and resilience to repression. However, besides physical repression, protesters in all three countries face the added challenge of new modes of cyber-repression. The combined effect of repressive cyber laws, intrusive cyber surveillance and aggressive cyber troops took its toll on the protest movements’ capacities for online agitation and mobilization, thus contributing to the movements’ silencing and suppression. Yet, the resistance did not die out, as activists dodge cyber-repression and make creative uses of digital media and technologies to cultivate their resistance online, at the grassroots level, or in the cultural sphere. Meanwhile, as long as authorities remain repressive and tone-deaf to this generation’s criticism and concerns, the gulf between them looks set to widen. The longer-term implication is that this generation will remain alienated and continue to express their struggle in novel and unpredictable ways.

The Palgrave Handbook of Political Norms in Southeast Asia

The Palgrave Handbook of Political Norms in Southeast Asia PDF Author: Gabriel Facal
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9819996554
Category : Southeast Asia
Languages : en
Pages : 635

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Book Description
“The Palgrave Handbook of Political Norms in Southeast Asia offers a fresh and insightful analysis of the dynamics of political change ongoing in the region. The collection brings together a set of highly expert authors from inside and outside the region, who offer a deep understanding of the region’s history and politics, providing a stimulating and colourful take on the region’s contemporary political movements. The Handbook will be invaluable to both longstanding observers of the region and to newcomers seeking to understand both the diversity and complexity of Southeast Asian politics, and its regional distinctiveness.” —Professor Caroline Hughes, University of Notre Dame, U.S.A “A sophisticated and compelling argument about how to conceive and explain political norms and dynamics. Insights from various social sciences expose complex power relationships involving competing interests promoting norms within, across, and in articulation with, Southeast Asia. Conflicts and contradictions are thus brought out of shadows and into light, posing a formidable theoretical challenge to influential orthodoxies. An outstanding collection.” —Emeritus Professor Garry Rodan, Murdoch University, Australia This open access handbook aims to constitute a reference point on political norm dynamics in Southeast Asia, by bringing together the array of normative repertoires that frame the possibilities for citizens to participate in, set agendas for, make decisions in, and contest, not only electoral and institutional politics but also informal and imaginary political spaces. It sheds light on intersecting political and social transformations and their consequences from the vantage point of political norms. While chapters lay out and analyse how political norms across Southeast Asia have been shaped in successive historical phases, the core of the handbook addresses current dynamics involved in defining and transforming political norms. Gabriel Facal is Deputy Director of the Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asia (IRASEC), Bangkok, Thailand. Elsa Lafaye de Micheaux is Professor in Political Economy at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris, France. Astrid Norén-Nilsson is a Senior Lecturer in the Study of Contemporary Southeast Asia at the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University, Sweden.

Aspirations with Limitations

Aspirations with Limitations PDF Author: Ulla Fionna
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN: 9814786705
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
As the first directly elected Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) served at a crucial juncture in Indonesia’s history. Succeeding the three short presidencies of BJ Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Sukarnoputri, his presidency had a lot to prove. While critical assessment of SBY’s domestic policies have been undertaken, less attention has been paid to his foreign policy. This volume seeks to fill this gap by examining key foreign policy issues during SBY’s tenure, including bilateral relations, Indonesia’s involvement in international organizations, and pivotal issues such as international labour and terrorism. The book provides an assessment of the direction of his foreign policy and management style, paying particular attention to his concerns over Indonesia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the significance of international institutions, and Indonesia’s right to lead.

From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation

From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation PDF Author: Aim Sinpeng
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN: 981495103X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
This book reflects on the role of social media in the past two decades in Southeast Asia. It traces the emergence of social media discourse in Southeast Asia, and its potential as a “liberation technology” in both democratizing and authoritarian states. It explains the growing decline in internet freedom and increasingly repressive and manipulative use of social media tools by governments, and argues that social media is now an essential platform for control. The contributors detail the increasing role of “disinformation” and “fake news” production in Southeast Asia, and how national governments are creating laws which attempt to address this trend, but which often exacerbate the situation of state control. From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation explores three main questions: How did social media begin as a vibrant space for grassroots activism to becoming a tool for disinformation? Who were the main actors in this transition: governments, citizens or the platforms themselves? Can reformists “reclaim” the digital public sphere? And if so, how?

Regional Responses to U.S.-China Competition in the Indo-Pacific

Regional Responses to U.S.-China Competition in the Indo-Pacific PDF Author: Jonah Blank
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781977405586
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 112

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Book Description
In this report, the author examines whether and how the United States can increase its cooperation with Indonesia in order to manage China's rise as a strategic competitor to the United States in the Indo-Pacific region.

Current and Emerging Trends in Cyber Operations

Current and Emerging Trends in Cyber Operations PDF Author: Frederic Lemieux
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137455551
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
This book explores current and emerging trends in policy, strategy, and practice related to cyber operations conducted by states and non-state actors. The book examines in depth the nature and dynamics of conflicts in the cyberspace, the geopolitics of cyber conflicts, defence strategy and practice, cyber intelligence and information security.

Implementing Grand Strategy Toward China

Implementing Grand Strategy Toward China PDF Author: Robert D. Blackwill
Publisher: Council on Foreign Relations Press
ISBN: 9780876097861
Category : China
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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Book Description
The Trump administration recognizes the China challenge, but it needs a grand strategy. Blackwill recommends decisive action, sustained diplomacy, collaboration among branches of the U.S. government, and working with allies in Asia and Europe, among other approaches.

Cyberpolitics in International Relations

Cyberpolitics in International Relations PDF Author: Nazli Choucri
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262017636
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
An examination of the ways cyberspace is changing both the theory and the practice of international relations.