ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Commun.
Sec. Media Governance and the Public Sphere
This article is part of the Research TopicNavigating the Hypermedia Landscape: Political, Cultural, and Social TransformationsView all articles
Formulation of a Model for the Dissemination of Government Policy Issues in Online Media and YouTube in Indonesia
Provisionally accepted
- Universitas Muhammadiyah Buton, Bau-bau, Indonesia
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The rapid expansion of digital media has reshaped political communication, transforming how issues diffuse across platforms such as online news outlets and YouTube. This study investigates the diffusion of political discourse in Indonesia, focusing specifically on two controversial programs—Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) and Danantara—using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design. This design is chosen for its ability to provide a comprehensive understanding by first identifying structural patterns quantitatively and then deepening insights through qualitative interpretation. Quantitative data were collected through web scraping of 1,696 news articles, 363 YouTube videos, and over 26 million user comments, complemented by a survey of 620 respondents. Structural Topic Modeling (STM) identified dominant issues, while Social Network Analysis (SNA) with QAP and MRQAP tested issue co-occurrence patterns. The findings led to the development of a conceptual model named “Frequency-Driven Co-occurrence,” emphasizing that frequency—not semantic similarity—is the most powerful predictor of diffusion. High-frequency issues functioned as hubs in discourse networks. Engagement analysis showed polarized responses: mainstream media legitimized policy through social and economic frames, whereas YouTube channels amplified critique and humor-driven counter-narratives. Qualitative analysis using thematic and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) reinforced these patterns, highlighting divergent framing between institutional and participatory media. The integration of results supports a novel conceptual model, "Frequency-Driven Co-occurrence," which explains how mention intensity drives issue centrality and narrative evolution. Theoretically, this model enriches agenda-setting and framing theories by shifting the emphasis from semantic similarity to issue salience as the primary mechanism of diffusion—particularly within hybrid media systems. Practical implications call for transparency, digital literacy, and collaborations with credible influencers to reduce polarization. Future research is encouraged to explore longitudinal patterns, algorithmic amplification, and affective dimensions of issue dissemination.
Keywords: Issue diffusion, social network analysis, critical discourse analysis, Digital polarization, YouTube politics
Received: 21 Sep 2025; Accepted: 20 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fajar Maulana, Rando, Hastuti, Muh. Zaitullah and ZARIFAH FERIZKA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Harry Fajar Maulana, harryfajarmaulana@gmail.com
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