Analysis of Netizen Opinions Regarding Jokowi's Fake Diploma on Social Media

Abstract

This study investigates the structural characteristics of digital polarization within Indonesia’s online discourse on X (formerly Twitter) surrounding President Joko Widodo’s diploma controversy. Employing a quantitative Social Network Analysis (SNA) approach, the research mapped user interactions including tweets, retweets, replies, and mentions collected during the controversy’s peak from 2022 to 2023. The findings reveal a highly fragmented and polarized network dominated by a few influential accounts, particularly @abahiding, which holds the highest out-degree value (43). The network demonstrates a hub-and-spoke configuration with an average degree of 0.872, network diameter and path length of 1, graph density of 0.002, and modularity of 0.864. These indicators collectively reflect a star-like topology where communication is concentrated around central nodes and limited within ideologically homogeneous clusters. The absence of bridging actors and minimal cross group engagement further confirm the presence of echo chambers. Theoretically, these results align with public sphere, social identity, network, and polarization theories, indicating that X functions less as a deliberative space and more as a segregated arena for identity affirmation. Empirical evidence from this study confirms that the digital discourse surrounding Jokowi’s diploma on X was structurally polarized, concentrated around dominant actors, and devoid of bridging mechanisms. The platform failed to support deliberative democratic functions, instead exacerbating ideological insularity and emotional partisanship. The study underscores the critical need for strategic interventions. Enhancing public digital literacy, increasing algorithmic transparency, and designing platforms that incentivize cross-group interaction are essential for mitigating public fragmentation and restoring democratic discursive capacity within Indonesia’s digital ecosystem