The Relationship Between Digital Disinformation and Political Trust from the Perspective of the Digital Public Sphere in Indonesia

Ayu Hermawan; Reza Safitri; Nurul Maharani

Authors

Ayu Hermawan Universitas Negeri Surabaya Author
Reza Safitri Universitas Negeri Surabaya Author
Nurul Maharani Universitas Diponegoro Author

Keywords:

Digital disinformation, Political trust, Digital public sphere

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the relationship between digital disinformation and political trust from the perspective of the digital public sphere in Indonesia. The issue is important because political communication increasingly takes place on social media, where citizens encounter political claims, hoaxes, partisan narratives, and fact-checking responses in the same digital environment. This study uses a qualitative case study approach conducted in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar from June to August 2025. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 30 informants, digital observation of public political discussions on TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp-based communities, and documentation of fact-checking articles, news reports, public posts, and official clarifications. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis with the support of NVivo 14. The findings reveal four main themes: perceived disinformation as political noise, trust negotiation through source evaluation, emotional responses and political identity, and the weakening of deliberation in the digital public sphere. The study shows that disinformation does not only distort facts, but also shapes how citizens interpret political actors, institutions, media, and democratic processes. The study concludes that political trust in Indonesia’s digital public sphere is selective, conditional, and strongly influenced by the quality of public communication, digital literacy, and platform dynamics. Future research should examine platform-specific patterns and compare citizens’ experiences across different social and regional contexts

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