Denny JA Explains New Theory Behind the August 2025 Riots

Denny JA, founder of the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), has introduced a new concept he calls the Digital Era Riot Theory to explain social phenomena developing within an increasingly technology and algorithm-driven society. Through his essay, Denny JA argues that the riots which occurred in August 2025 were not merely ordinary political or social turmoil, but rather a sign of the emergence of a new pattern in digital society dynamics that classical social theories cannot fully explain. According to Denny JA, various established social theories remain relevant but are insufficient to comprehensively explain the phenomenon of rioting in the digital age. He highlighted three major theories: Ted Robert Gurr’s Relative Deprivation, which explains anger arising from the gap between expectations and reality; McCarthy and Zald’s Resource Mobilization Theory, which emphasises the importance of organisation and resources in social movements; and Manuel Castells and Zeynep Tufekci’s Networked Protest Theory, which explains the role of the internet and social media in mass mobilisation. However, these three theories are deemed unable to fully explain the role of algorithms, social media, and the emergence of digital worker groups in shaping the current wave of protests. One of the main concepts offered by Denny JA is the Digitally Vulnerable Class (DVC). This group consists of online motorcycle taxi drivers, digital couriers, freelancers, platform workers, content creators, and various informal workers who depend on digital systems for their income. According to him, this group lives under three simultaneous forms of vulnerability: economic vulnerability, algorithmic vulnerability, and aspirational vulnerability. The DVC is identified as a new social actor with the potential to become a major force in future social upheavals in the digital era. Denny JA explained that his proposed theory is built upon five main variables. Economic Grievance is the primary fuel for social anger, stemming from rising prices of basic necessities, declining purchasing power, limited job opportunities, and uncertainty about the future, which accumulate public disappointment.