Budaya Politik Transaksional dan Tantangan Partisipasi Publik dalam Demokrasi Indonesia di Era Digital

Abstract

This study aims to examine the transformation of transactional political culture and its impact on the quality of public participation within the digital democracy landscape in Indonesia. Amidst the optimism for the expansion of public deliberation spaces through social media platforms, clientelism practices have empirically mutated into more sophisticated forms, creating an existential threat to electoral integrity. This research employs a qualitative approach with a library research design, focusing its data collection exclusively on recent scientific journal articles. Through content analysis and source triangulation techniques, the literature synthesis reveals three main findings. First, there is a shift from conventional money politics to algorithmic patronage that exploits electronic financial instruments and big data. Second, the massive commodification of cyberspace by cyber troops who systematically produce fabricated public discourse and trigger a spiral of silence among critical groups. Third, the degradation of civic engagement into mere pseudo-participation, where voter rationality is distorted by materialistic pragmatism and cognitive fatigue. This study concludes that digitalization without the cognitive immunity of the society will only perpetuate the hijacking of democracy by oligarchic elites. Therefore, it is recommended to undertake institutional reforms that criminalize cyber money politics, substantively strengthen digital political literacy, and foster participatory electoral oversight rooted in the collaboration of local communities.