This research investigates the phenomenon of digital activism, specifically examining the activism of the Anak Abah netizen group supporting the 2024 presidential candidate Anies Baswedan, within the framework of digital democracy in Indonesia. Adopting a qualitative design employing thematic analysis of social media content, this study analyzes how digitally constructed narratives contribute to the formation of collective identity and subsequently influence patterns of political participation. The analysis, grounded in new media theory (Fuchs, 2022) and social identity theory (McKinley et al., 2014), identifies the strategic utilization of digital instruments by the Anak Abah group—including the use of hashtags, production of visual content, and articulation of emotional narratives—to foster solidarity and expand political engagement. Key findings indicate that social media platforms function as an alternative public sphere, enabling this netizen group to contest dominant mainstream narratives while simultaneously mobilizing support. Nevertheless, this research also highlights the inherent ambivalence within digital democracy practices, where similar mobilization strategies risk reinforcing social polarization and the spread of misinformation. The contribution of this research lies in the formulation of a novel conceptual framework, namely the theory of digital narrative mobilization theory, which integrates affective narrative, identity anchoring and digital resource mobilization to explain the dynamics of collective identity formation in the contemporary political context.
Syahrir et al. (Sun,) studied this question.