Research: Student Demonstrations Dominate Social Media Discourse

Information tracking and analysis agency Binokular Media Monitoring has released research results regarding the monitoring of conversations on social media throughout June 2026. The monitoring utilised Big Data Analytics tools. Through the Newstensity dashboard, News Analytics Manager Nicko Mardiansyah stated that the monitoring results showed student demonstrations were the top discourse discussed on social media. “Demonstrations by BEM UI, Trisakti, Esa Unggul, and various other student elements became the top issue, recording 14,035 conversations,” Nicko said in a written statement on Thursday, 25 June 2026. The next issue that gained significant attention, he continued, was Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar’s statement regarding the hope that demonstrations would be conducted politely. This statement recorded 7,232 conversations. In third place, the discourse regarding the polemic of BEM UBK denying that a meeting with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka was engineered recorded 6,114 conversations, followed by requests for security forces not to be repressive during demonstrations with 5,998 conversations. “Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indrawijaya’s statement regarding the price of Pertamax in Indonesia being cheaper than in other countries is in fifth place with 5,149 conversations,” Nicko said. According to him, the series of issues that became the main discourse on social media shows that the student demonstrations developed into layered conversations. The data shows that the public is not only talking about those who are demonstrating. However, Nicko said, conversations also moved towards how state officials responded, the attitude of security forces in providing security, and how student demands are linked to economic issues and government policies. “This intertwining shows that the demonstration issue is not only positioned as a field event, but also as a narrative battleground between student aspirations, state responses and attitudes, and public attention,” he said. Therefore, Nicko added, based on the media monitoring findings, Binokular assesses that the management of the student demonstration issue needs to be carried out with a more measured communication approach. The government and state institutions, he said, need to ensure that public responses do not stop at appeals for order, but also address the substance of the demands conveyed by students and other elements of society. “Public communication on the demonstration issue needs to be based on data and substance. Responses must be relevant, not just prioritising speed. If responses are merely normative, the digital space will continue to seek its own answers through narratives that are not necessarily accurate,” Nicko said.