Report on Hate Speech Monitoring in The 2024 Indonesia Regional Elections
South Tangerang – In collaboration with Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia, Monash University, Indonesia observed hate speech targeting vulnerable groups in the 2024 Indonesia regional elections or Pilkada. The observation ran from August 1 to December 17, 2024. A total of 479,350 texts were collected from two platforms—X and TikTok. Of these, 49,587 texts (10.34%) were identified as containing hate speech, while 320,966 texts (66.96%) were directly related to the Pilkada.
This publication is the second edition in a series of reports on monitoring hate speech during Indonesia 2024 political cycle. The first report, which focused on hate speech against vulnerable groups during the 2024 General Elections, was released on August 8, 2024. This current edition shifts focus to the 2024 Regional Head Elections (Pilkada), with targeted monitoring conducted in five selected provinces: Aceh, West Sumatra, West Java, North Maluku, and West Nusa Tenggara. Aceh Regional Election recorded the highest volume of hate speech, with a total of 8,367 texts. This was followed by West Java with 7,282 texts, West Nusa Tenggara with 2,005 texts, North Maluku with 1,577 texts, and West Sumatra with 1,549 texts.
Through this monitoring initiative, we aim to document widespread instances of hate speech that lack meaningful content moderation by social media platforms. The documentation gathered will form the basis for policy recommendations for stakeholders, including the government, social media platforms, and civil society communities or groups.
Academically, this report aims to contribute to the discourse on hate speech targeting vulnerable groups during elections, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. While studies on hate speech in social media have typically employed qualitative methods, there is limited empirical research focusing on the specific impacts faced by vulnerable groups during political events. Existing studies predominantly examine hate speech phenomena in Western democratic countries, particularly in English-speaking contexts, where there is a favorable climate for freedom of expression. There is a need for more research addressing the unique vulnerabilities of these groups during local elections in developing countries, non-English-speaking nations, and competitive authoritarian regimes like Indonesia.