Digital Democracy in Indonesia: Challenges, Participation, and Hybrid Democracy Models

Abstract

The development of digital technology has transformed the way people obtain information, communicate, and participate in democratic life. While digital spaces open up opportunities for expanding political participation and creating a more open public sphere, they also present problems such as disinformation, weak critical literacy, unequal access, and the dominance of particular interests. This study aims to analyze how the development of digital democracy influences public political participation in Indonesia and examine how a hybrid democracy model can respond to the challenges of digital democracy. The study uses a qualitative approach through a literature review of literature on democracy, the information society, digital media, and political participation. The 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia provides the constitutional basis for people’s sovereignty, freedom of expression, the right to information, and the exercise of rights within legal limitations. The results indicate that digital technology expands political participation through digital communication, activism, virtual communities, criticism, and information production, but its effectiveness is affected by disinformation, polarization, unequal access, and low critical literacy. A hybrid democracy model can combine digital participation with conventional democratic institutions while considering Indonesia’s social, political, and cultural characteristics.