Influencers and Political Messages on Social Media: The Case of Jerome Polin’s Posts on Nadiem Makarim’s Trial

Vidya Adiwijaya; Ivyela Rethalia Giroth; Verawaty Tanjaya; Lawrensca Patterson; Kenny Andrew

doi:10.2991/978-2-38476-622-2_15

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Influencers and Political Messages on Social Media: The Case of Jerome Polin’s Posts on Nadiem Makarim’s Trial

Authors

Vidya Adiwijaya¹^{, *}, Ivyela Rethalia Giroth¹, Verawaty Tanjaya¹, Lawrensca Patterson¹, Kenny Andrew¹

¹Universitas Bunda Mulia, Jl. Jalur Sutera Barat Kav. 7-9, Alam Sutera, Tangerang, Indonesia

^*Corresponding author. Email: Vidyaadiwijaya734@gmail.com

Corresponding Author

Vidya Adiwijaya

Available Online 6 October 2026.

DOI: 10.2991/978-2-38476-622-2_15 How to use a DOI?
Keywords: Digital Narrative; Opinion Leader; Public Discourse
Abstract: This study, titled “Influencer and Political Messages on Social Media: The Case of Jerome Polin’s Posts on Nadiem Makarim’s Trial,” aims to analyze how influencer Jerome Polin acts as an opinion leader by constructing narratives and interpreting public issues regarding Nadiem Makarim’s trial on social media. Utilizing a qualitative approach with qualitative content analysis, this research examines eight purposively sampled posts from Jerome Polin’s Threads and Instagram accounts. The findings reveal that Polin successfully framed the issue by positioning Nadiem as a symbol of integrity facing legal injustice. Employing strong emotional appeals, colloquial language, and rhetorical questions, Polin polarized the discourse and transformed an individual legal case into a collective public concern, effectively mobilizing public discourse. Theoretically, this study expands the Two-Step Flow of Communication theory by demonstrating how modern digital influencers mediate and construct meaning, rather than merely transmitting information. Practically, it highlights the significant role of influencers in shaping public opinion and emotional responses toward legal and political issues in the digital public sphere.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title: Proceedings of the International Conference on Communication, Digital Ecosystem, and Society (ICODES 2026)
Series: Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date: 6 October 2026
ISBN: 978-2-38476-622-2
ISSN: 2352-5398
DOI: 10.2991/978-2-38476-622-2_15 How to use a DOI?
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

ris enw bib

TY  - CONF
AU  - Vidya Adiwijaya
AU  - Ivyela Rethalia Giroth
AU  - Verawaty Tanjaya
AU  - Lawrensca Patterson
AU  - Kenny Andrew
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/06
TI  - Influencers and Political Messages on Social Media: The Case of Jerome Polin’s Posts on Nadiem Makarim’s Trial
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Communication, Digital Ecosystem, and Society (ICODES 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 207
EP  - 226
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-622-2_15
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-622-2_15
ID  - Adiwijaya2026
ER  -

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