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Islamist Buzzers: Message Flooding, Offline Outreach, and Astroturfing
[journal article]
Abstract Based on ethnographic research on Islamist buzzers - social media political operators tasked with making particular online conversation subjects trend - in Indonesia, this article details the process of how the proliferation of insensitive message in both the online and offline realms plays a role i... view more
Based on ethnographic research on Islamist buzzers - social media political operators tasked with making particular online conversation subjects trend - in Indonesia, this article details the process of how the proliferation of insensitive message in both the online and offline realms plays a role in mobilizing those sympathetic to religious fundamentalism. As this research shows, the interviewed buzzers were one of the driving forces behind the massive success of the fundamentalist Islamic Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam, FPI) as they mobilized people to participate in the organization’s political rallies between 2016 and 2017. Driven by altruistic volunteerism and sense of community, these actors go beyond their duty as click-farmers. They maintain regular contact with sympathizers and convincing them to revive broken weblinks, hang banners on streets as part of astroturfing campaigns and gather masses to attend offline events. Detailing the activity and spatiality of buzzers in crafting new online and offline spaces as part of their innovative bottom-up propaganda management, this research concludes that right-wing political mobilization and radicalization are not simply the product of ideology but are catalyzed by technically and socially tedious, mediated messaging campaigns.... view less
Keywords
Islam; political right; social media; fundamentalism; propaganda; mobilization; Indonesia; Southeast Asia
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Interactive, electronic Media
Free Keywords
Astroturfing; Hate Speech; Buzzer
Document language
English
Publication Year
2019
Page/Pages
p. 187-208
Journal
ASEAS - Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies, 12 (2019) 2
Issue topic
Violence in Southeast Asia
ISSN
1999-253X
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0