Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: This study examines the phenomenon of “No Viral No Justice” as a shift in policy responsiveness in the digital era, where institutional attention tends to intensify only after an issue gains significant visibility on social media. In the Indonesian context, this phenomenon reflects how viral circulation can operate as an informal mechanism of agenda setting, shaping the timing and direction of institutional response. The Judicial Commission of the Republic of Indonesia has also acknowledged this issue as a criticism of law enforcement responsiveness, indicating that public cases are often treated more seriously once they attract viral attention. This study uses a qualitative approach with Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine digital narratives, institutional responses, and policy discourse related to viral justice phenomena in Indonesia. The analysis focuses on how virality functions not simply as a communicative event, but as a structural process that redistributes power among the state, digital platforms, and networked publics. Based on empirical observations of Indonesian cases, the study identifies an “algorithmic accountability pressure,” whereby state responsiveness is indirectly shaped by digital visibility metrics. The findings show that virality increases public attention and accelerates institutional response, but it also produces visibility inequality, because issues that fail to become viral tend to receive less attention even when they are substantively important. The study concludes that stronger transparency in digital governance and more independent institutional decision-making are necessary to ensure that policy responsiveness is not driven primarily by viral pressure.
Institutions: Universitas PGRI Yogyakarta, Islamic University in Uganda
Language: English
Topic: Social Media and Politics
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7204444688