The Construction of the Identity of "Anak Kampung" in Political Branding: A Netnographic Analysis of Bahlil Lahadalia's Social Media

Abstract

The digital transformation of Indonesia's political landscape has created space for the emergence of a new populist narrative based on vertical social mobility. This study aims to analyze the construction of the "Anak Kampung" identity used by Bahlil Lahadalia as an instrument of political branding on social media. Using netnography and a four-level Cyber ​​Media Analysis (AMS) tool, this study explores how past marginalized experiences—such as being a cake seller, a conductor, and a public transportation driver—are reconstructed into symbolic capital in the digital space. The results show that Bahlil carried out effective "impression management" through visual performativity and narratives of struggle, which succeeded in building affective loyalty among constituents across generations. However, this branding also faces challenges in the form of digital skepticism regarding academic integrity and controversial public policies. This study concludes that the success of political branding in the digital era depends heavily on actors' ability to navigate the logic of platform algorithms while maintaining a sense of authenticity.