Hashtag to Hashtag, from Critical Expressions on Social Media to Calls for Student Demonstrations

In the digital era, social media has become the primary platform for the public to voice their opinions, including criticism of the government. Hashtags that emerge across various channels, such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok, have proven to be effective tools for rallying public opinion and mobilizing communities, including students and pupils.

Several hashtags such as #IndonesiaGelap, #KaburAjaDulu, and #PeringatanDarurat have emerged alongside the social, political, and economic dynamics in Indonesia. The presence of these hashtags reflects public anxiety over government policies perceived as not favoring the people.

The hashtag #IndonesiaGelap, for instance, first emerged when the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, implemented a policy banning the sale of 3-kg LPG at the retail level on February 1, 2025.

After President Prabowo Subianto annulled the policy related to LPG, the use of the hashtag #IndonesiaGelap temporarily declined. However, shortly thereafter, the government issued a budget efficiency policy that affected several programs, such as education and health.

The hashtag #IndonesiaGelap has once again gained traction and flooded social media. In addition to questioning education and health policies, netizens are also raising concerns about several other issues, such as the Minerba Law, the dual functions of the TNI/Polri, and the effectiveness of the Free Nutritious Lunch program. The hashtag also surfaced alongside the plan of the All-Indonesia Student Executive Board (BEM SI) to hold a demonstration at the State Palace on Thursday (20/2/2025).

Almost simultaneously with #IndonesiaGelap, the hashtag #PeringatanDarurat also emerged to criticize the first 100 days of Prabowo Subianto's administration. Through the hashtag, netizens voiced their disappointment with government policies that were considered ineffective in facing various challenges.

Critical hashtags are used to express criticism toward the government or political elites, for instance, regarding policies, programs, or efforts involving malicious collusion among political elites.

Unlike the previous Emergency Warning campaign, which was accompanied by an image of a garuda against a blue background, criticism of the first 100 days of Prabowo's administration was conveyed against a black background. Like glue that successfully unites two different mediums, the hashtags #IndonesiaGelap and #PeringatanDarurat also succeeded in bringing together students from various universities to stage demonstrations.

Previously, netizens' criticism of the conditions in the country was also conveyed through the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu. The hashtag became a symbol of the disappointment of the younger generation who felt that opportunities in the country were increasingly limited, so they preferred to seek opportunities abroad, either through education or work.

According to Lifewire, the hashtag was first used in 1998 on a platform called Internet Relay Chat or IRC. The pound sign was used at the beginning of a word or phrase to group messages, images, and videos into one category.

Furthermore, the use of hashtags is applied in social media, especially X. With hashtags, users can collect certain content and find related content through hashtag searches.

Over time, hashtags have been widely used by netizens and have become a popular feature on various social media channels. In other words, hashtags have become a fairly effective marketing strategy in reaching target audiences.

In various places in the world, including Indonesia, the use of hashtags does not only reflect trends or public opinion. Hashtags are also used to encourage social movements, such as taking to the streets for demonstrations or signing petitions.

The use of the hashtag #GejayanMemanggil in 2019, for example, was used to call for demonstrations in Yogyakarta to reject various government policies that were considered not in favor of the people. The hashtag, which was inspired by the demonstration in Gejayan in 1998, then succeeded in rallying student solidarity to hold similar actions in various regions in Indonesia.

Likewise, the hashtag #MahasiswaBergerak emerged along with student protests rejecting the revision of the Corruption Eradication Commission Law (UU KPK) and the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP). The use of the hashtag made students "wake up from their sleep" and voice their rejection in various ways.

Monash Data & Democracy Research Hub Co-Director Ika Idris said, hashtags serve to group conversations on social media, be it x, or TikTok and Instagram. "In the case of critical hashtags, they also function as statements of position and calls to support the statement," she said.

Ika explained that the critical hashtag is used to show criticism of the government or political elite, for example regarding policies, programs, or evil conspiracy efforts of the political elite. In addition, the use of hashtags also shows a statement that civil society does not trust the government.

"The public is aware that government policies have an impact on people's lives, that's why the hashtags #Kaburajadulu and #IndonesiaGelap emerged," he said.

The existence of hashtags, according to him, is effective in building public awareness and gaining more attention, both from the mass media and the government. However, the use of hashtags will be more effective if the public's desires meet with the political elite.

"As far as I've observed, hashtags are only effective if civil society has allies in the political elite. Otherwise, hashtags or civil society movements tend not to succeed," he said.

Ika gave an example, in the case of the rejection of the KPK Law and the Job Creation Law, the civil society movement was very strong. This was shown by the presence of the hashtag #TolakOmnibusLaw which was used to counter the government's hashtag #IndonesiaButuhKerja. However, the impact of the hashtag was relatively small.

Meanwhile, the use of the hashtags #IndonesiaDarurat and #KawalPustusMK is quite effective because it is related to the interests of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle to win the Jakarta gubernatorial election. "This makes civil society have 'friends' to make their hopes a success," he said.

As a representation of the people's voice, criticism that appears on social media should be used as a tool for introspection for the government, not as a threat.

Although critical hashtags reflect freedom of speech guaranteed by democracy, there are still major challenges faced by netizens in voicing their opinions. These challenges, in Ika's view, include the presence of buzzers who block critical hashtags from the public, the ITE Law which can ensnare freedom of expression on the internet, and social media channel algorithms that make it difficult for public opinion to go viral.

Lecturer at the Department of Politics, FISIP, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Airlangga Pribadi Kusman, said that the concerns expressed by the public through the hashtags #IndonesiaGelap and #KaburAjaDulu actually show public awareness of social and political issues.

According to Airlangga, hashtags critical of the government are part of the dynamics of a healthy democracy. "As a representation of the people's voice, criticism that appears on social media should be used as a tool for introspection for the government, not as a threat," he said.

In responding to criticism, political elites and public officials should not act reactionarily and view such expressions as unnationalist or unpatriotic. By responding to criticism wisely and openly, the government can build public trust and create better governance for the advancement of the nation.