Research: Student Demonstrations Dominate Social Media Discourse
The information tracking and analysis agency, Binoklar Media Monitoring, has released research findings regarding the monitoring of social media conversations throughout June 2026. The monitoring utilised Big Data Analytics tools.
Through the Newstensity dashboard, News Analytics Manager Nicko Mardiansyah stated that the monitoring results show student demonstrations as the top discourse, being the most discussed topic on social media.
“Demonstrations by BEM UI, Trisakti, Esa Unggul, and various other student elements became the top issue, recording 14,035 conversations,” said Nicko in a written statement on Thursday, 25 June 2026.
The next issue receiving high attention, he continued, was the statement by the Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, regarding the hope that demonstrations would be conducted politely. This statement recorded 7,232 conversations.
In third place, the discourse regarding the controversy involving BEM UBK, which denied a meeting with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was a result of conditioning, recording 6,114 conversations, followed by requests for security forces not to be repressive during demonstrations with 5,998 conversations.
“The statement by Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indrawijaya regarding Pertamax prices in Indonesia being cheaper than in other countries ranked fifth with 5,149 conversations,” said Nicko.
According to him, the series of issues becoming the main discourse on social media shows that student demonstrations have evolved into multi-layered conversations. The data shows that the public is not only discussing those participating in the protests.
However, Nicko noted, the conversation also moved towards how state officials respond, the attitude of security forces in maintaining order, and how student demands are linked to economic issues or government policies.
“This entanglement shows that the issue of demonstrations is not only positioned as a field event, but also as a space for a battle of narratives between student aspirations, the responses and attitudes of the state, and public attention,” he said.
Therefore, Nickum added, based on these media monitoring findings, Binokular assesses that the management of student demonstration issues needs to be conducted with a more measured communication approach.
He stated that the government and state institutions need to ensure that public responses do not stop at appeals for order, but also address the substance of the demands presented by students and other elements of society.
“Public communication regarding demonstration issues needs to be based on data and substance. Responses must be relevant and not merely prioritise speed. If responses are only normative, the digital space will continue to seek its own answers through narratives that may not necessarily be accurate,” said Nicko.