Shifting conceptions of voice in citizen-government interactions using digital media in Indonesian local democracy

There has been considerable discussion over a number of years about how digital media can be used to facilitate more effective interaction between citizens and government in democratic societies. Terms such as e-participation, e-democracy, e-government, and Citizen 2.0 have been variously used, but the common theme behind these terms has been the understanding that the Internet and digital media can connect governments and citizens in new ways. Much of this debate regarding the use of digital media by governments to speak to and listen to citizens has taken place in Western contexts. In this chapter, we consider such questions in the Indonesian context. Indonesia has one of the largest online populations in the world, with 88 million people, or 34% of the total population, having . Internet access in 2014. Almost all of these users have access through mobile devices – with or without personal computers – and the majority are young users, and make considerable use of the full range of social media apps, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Instagram. Recognising the size and diversity of Indonesia as a nation, this study focuses upon uses of digital media for political engagement in Bandung City in Central Java. It considers two platforms in particular: the Lapor! (Report) website developed by the Indonesian government as a means by which citizens can report matters to government online and have them addressed, and the Twitter account of Ridwan Kamil, the charismatic mayor of Bandung City