Agitation and Propaganda Communication Strategy in The Political Campaign of Member of the Republic of Indonesia's House of Representatives

  • Jumardin Akas Program Magister Ilmu Komunikasi Fakultas Pascasarjana Universitas Fajar Makassar, Indonesia
  • Muh. Akbar Universitas Fajar Makassar, Indonesia
  • Andi Vita Sukmarini Universitas Fajar Makassar, Indonesia
Keywords: Communication Strategy, Political Agitation, Political Propaganda

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the communication strategies of agitation and propaganda employed in the political campaign of DPR RI Member M.F. during the 2024 Legislative Election. The research adopts a descriptive qualitative approach and was conducted in North Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi Province. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and documentation. The primary informant of this study is M.F., who served as a Member of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) for the 2019–2024 period. The key informant is M.A., the head of M.F.’s campaign team, while supporting informants include I.P.I., the Regent of North Luwu (2016–2024), and H.S.E., the Speaker of the North Luwu Regional House of Representatives (2025–2029). The findings reveal that M.F. and his team consistently applied agitation communication strategies during limited face-to-face campaign events across multiple locations in the electoral district. In addition, five out of Harold D. Lasswell’s seven propaganda techniques were identified in the campaign: Glittering Generalities, Transfer, Testimonial, Plain Folks, and Card Stacking. These strategies were instrumental in mobilizing public awareness, shaping political attitudes, and encouraging voters to reject money politics while prioritizing candidates’ track records.

References

Adamu, R. O. (2023). Women participation in Nigerian politics: Challenges and prospects to Nigerian democracy. International Journal of Humanity Studies (IJHS), 6(2), 301-314. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijhs.v6i2.5295

Alodat, A. M., Al-Qora’n, L. F., & Abu Hamoud, M. (2023). Social media platforms and political participation: A study of Jordanian youth engagement. Social Sciences, 12(7), 402. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12070402

Arifin, A. (2003). Komunikasi politik: Paradigma, teori, aplikasi, strategi komunikasi politik Indonesia (No. 5793). Balai Pustaka.

Asroor, Z., & Sahin, C. (2025). Confrontation and Reconciliation Efforts in the Sunni-Shia Conflict in Indonesia. FiTUA: JURNAL STUDI ISLAM, 6(2), 328-334.

Bahren, R. S. A. (2025). Gender Equality in the Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa (PKB) as a Political Wing Nahdhatul Ulama (NU). QONUN: Jurnal Hukum Islam dan Perundang-undangan, 9(1), 45-86.

Baldwin, G. (2025). Campaign Expenditure Effects on Electoral Results in the New Zealand Local Government Sector (Doctoral dissertation, Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington). https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.29242589

Chaturvedi, R. (2025). A Study of changing trends in indian political campaigning through use of social media with reference to youth voters (Doctoral dissertation, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune).

Christensen, J., Holst, C., & Molander, A. (2022). Expertise, policy-making and democracy (p. 136). Taylor & Francis.

Denton Jr, R. E., Voth, B., Trent, J. S., & Friedenberg, R. V. (2023). Political campaign communication: principles and practices. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.

Domalewska, D. (2025). Online verbal aggression on social media during times of political turmoil: Discursive patterns from Poland’s 2020 protests and election. Journalism and Media, 6(3), 146. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia6030146

Duan, Y. (2025). Curating Climate Change: Information Flows Across and Within Social Media Platforms (Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University).

Dunaway, J., & Graber, D. A. (2022). Mass media and American politics. Cq Press.

Eby, L. T., & Facteau, D. B. (2023). Much ado about the lack of policy implications in scholarly journals?. Academy of Management Perspectives, 37(4), 383-390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anzjph.2023.100044

Ercegovac, I., Tankosic, M., & Grilec, A. (2022). Influence of Two-Step Flow Theory Supported by Neuromarketing Methods on Consumers Perception–The Theoretical Overview. Economic and Social Development: Book of Proceedings, 91-102.

Farida, A., Sihombing, A. A., Syarif, D., Imansah, R. K. S., Saepudin, J., Sabara, ... & Prapto, S. (2022, June). The Politics of Exclusion Based on Religious Identity (Shiah Case in Indonesia). In SEASIA Biennial Conference (pp. 509-522). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-2116-3_36

Fittaurina, M., & Suyitno, I. (2024). Teknik agitasi dalam wacana siber. Journal of Language, Literature and Art.

Gamboa, L., García‐Holgado, B., & González‐Ocantos, E. (2024). Courts against backsliding: lessons from Latin America. Law & Policy, 46(4), 358-379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anzjph.2023.100044

Guess, A. M., Malhotra, N., Pan, J., Barberá, P., Allcott, H., Brown, T., ... & Tucker, J. A. (2023). How do social media feed algorithms affect attitudes and behavior in an election campaign?. Science, 381(6656), 398-404. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abp9364

Haris, Y. S., & Bustam, B. M. R. (2024). Reconciliation Amongst Islamic-Based Groups as a Solution to the Tolerance Issue and the Accomplishment of Religious Moderation in Indonesia. Jurnal SMART (Studi Masyarakat, Religi, dan Tradisi), 10(2), 141-154. https://doi.org/10.18784/smart.v10i2.2464

Havighurst, S. S., Mathews, B., Doyle, F. L., Haslam, D. M., Andriessen, K., Cubillo, C., ... & Higgins, D. J. (2023). Corporal punishment of children in Australia: The evidence-based case for legislative reform. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 47(3), 100044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anzjph.2023.100044

Hayat, M. A. (2021). Peran media sosial dalam komunikasi politik. Jurnal [Details of volume & issue missing].

Heryanto, G. (2018). Media komunikasi politik: Relasi kuasa media di panggung politik. IRCiSoD.

Hill, D. M. (2024). Democratic theory and local government. Taylor & Francis.

Lamont, M. (2023). Seeing others: How recognition works—And how it can heal a divided world. Simon and Schuster.

Loughlin, M. (2022). Against constitutionalism. Harvard University Press.

Louwerse, T., & Van Vonno, C. (2022). Moving up or down: parliamentary activity and candidate selection. The Journal of Legislative Studies, 28(2), 216-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/13572334.2021.1885871

Lubis, N. Z. K., & Tagor, R. A. (2022). Political Communication Strategy of The PDI Perjuangan Party. Jurnal Komunikasi dan Bisnis, 10(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.46806/jkb.v10i1.822

Martin, S., & Strøm, K. (2023). Legislative Assemblies: Voters, Members, and Leaders. Oxford University Press.

Matos, A. S. F. D. S. D. C. (2024). Participation of political actors on Twitter: Filter bubble or public communication chanel.

O’Boyle, N. (2022). Influencers: Person-to-Person Influence in the Networked Era. In Communication Theory for Humans: Communicators in a Mediated World (pp. 127-152). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-02450-4_6

Rani, S. (2019). Dinamika komunikasi politik dalam pilkada di Indonesia. Alhadharah: Jurnal Ilmu Dakwah, 17(33), 112. https://doi.org/10.18592/alhadharah.v17i33.2376

Redmond, P., Munley, V., & Garcia-Rodriguez, A. (2025). Determinants of Incumbent Electoral Success: Evidence from 30 Years of Irish Elections. The Economic and Social Review, 56(2, Summer), 285-305.

Salman, H. M., & Aleem, D. N. (2024). Hundred Theories and Models of Mass Communication. Available at SSRN 4790621. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4790621

Sheehan, M. (2023). China’s AI regulations and how they get made. Horizons: Journal of International Relations and Sustainable Development, (24), 108-125.

Skinner, A. (2024). Adam Smith and the role of the state: education as a public service. Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, 70-96. https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526184177.00009

Sugiyono. (2015). Metode penelitian kombinasi (Mix methods). Alfabeta.

Suryawijaya, T. W. E. (2023). Propaganda Analysis of Independent Papua Organizations: Preventive Efforts for Nation Disintegration.

Sutangga, J. (2022). Strategi komunikasi politik elit NU pada Pilkada Lombok Tengah 2020: studi atas keterlibatan elit NU dalam tim pemenangan paslon Maiq Meres (Doctoral dissertation, UIN Mataram).

Tsulukidze, K. (2025). Propaganda on Social Media: A Comparative Study with Historical Propaganda (Doctoral dissertation, Mykolo Romerio universitetas.).

Yeo, T. E. D. (2022). Models of viral propagation in digital contexts: How messages and ideas—from internet memes to fake news—created by consumers, bots, and marketers spread. In The Routledge handbook of digital consumption (pp. 489-501). Routledge.

Yusuf, A. M. (2019). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif & penelitian gabungan (5th ed.). Prenadamedia Group.

Published
2026-02-03
How to Cite
Akas, J., Akbar, M., & Sukmarini, A. V. (2026). Agitation and Propaganda Communication Strategy in The Political Campaign of Member of the Republic of Indonesia’s House of Representatives. Journal La Sociale, 7(1), 176-190. https://doi.org/10.37899/journal-la-sociale.v7i1.2573