Digital Cultural Practices and Public Opinion Polarization in the #KaburAjaDulu Narrative on Social Media
Keywords:
Virtual Ethnography, KaburAjaDulu, Opinion Polarization, Social Media, Cultural PracticesAbstract
The digital phenomenon surrounding the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu emerged in early 2025 as a form of critical expression among netizens regarding the socio-economic conditions in Indonesia. The researcher aims to analyze how this hashtag functions not merely as a viral trend, but as a cultural practice within the digital sphere that reflects the collective anxiety of the younger generation. Employing Christine Hine’s Virtual Ethnography, this study examines digital interactions through the dimensions of embedded, embodied, and everyday practices across X, TikTok, and YouTube. Data were gathered through crawling techniques using Brand24 over the period of May to August 2025. The findings reveal a sharp polarization of opinion between groups that interpret "escaping" as a global survival strategy and those who perceive it as a dereliction of national responsibility. These results emphasize that social media serves as an arena for negotiating meaning, where humor and satire are utilized to articulate aspirations for better quality of life and education, aligning with the spirit of SDG 4. The researcher concludes that this phenomenon represents a snapshot of the trust crisis as well as a collective aspiration for transformation within Indonesia’s digital society.
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