A new bibliometric analysis reveals that influencer marketing has become a critical component of digital political campaigns in Indonesia, with significant growth in research publications on the topic between 2019 and 2023. The study, published in the July 2025 issue of INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication), examines how social media personalities are reshaping political engagement in Indonesia, particularly among younger voters.
The analysis of 258 scientific publications from the Scopus database shows a nearly five-fold increase in research on influencer marketing in digital political contexts. Publications rose from just 19 documents in 2019 to 93 in 2023, indicating growing academic and practical interest in the field.
This surge corresponds with political parties’ increased readiness to leverage influencers as communication agents ahead of elections worldwide, including Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have accelerated this trend, with a notable jump in publications after 2020 as voters became more reliant on digital information sources.
The findings align with Indonesia’s creator economy growth, which now features approximately 12 million creators producing between 500,000 and one million pieces of content monthly, according to a 2024 report by GroupM-GOAT Indonesia. This output positions Indonesia as the leading content producer in Southeast Asia.
Image source: Nyssa, Andi & Suswanta, & Sari, Inrinofita. (2025). Mapping Publication Trends of Influencer Marketing and Digital Political Campaigns: A Bibliometric Analysis. INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication). 10. 121-144. 10.18326/inject.v10i2.4647
Building Trust Remains Primary Function
According to the research, the most significant role of influencers in political campaigns is building trust and credibility, accounting for 39% of their impact. The study found that influencers with strong personal relationships with their audiences are particularly effective at cultivating trust, which is especially valuable in political environments.
“Influencer messages are easier to absorb and have a greater impact because they are perceived to be close to their audience,” the researchers note, pointing to the way political campaigns use influencers to make complex messages more approachable and personalized.
This trust dynamic is being leveraged beyond traditional campaign politics. In April 2024, the Indonesian government enlisted social media influencers to promote the relocation of its capital from Jakarta to the new under-construction city of Nusantara on Borneo island.
“We hope influencers can participate in disseminating information about Nusantara,” stated Usman Kansong from the Communications Ministry, highlighting the government’s strategy to “increase public knowledge and create a positive attitude towards moving to the capital.”
Action and Reach
The second most important function identified was mobilizing audience action (21%), where influencers motivate followers to support candidates, spread campaign messages, or engage in political activities. Creative messaging (18%) and expanding audience reach (15%) followed as key contributions.
Despite high digital engagement through influencers, the study found that increasing direct public participation remained challenging, accounting for only 5% of influencer impact. This suggests a disconnect between online engagement and offline political action that campaigns need to address.
Platform Strategies
The research identifies distinct roles for different social media platforms in political influencer campaigns. X frequently serves as a hub for political discussion, while Instagram is leveraged for engaging visual campaign content. TikTok, which was not prominent in earlier political campaigns, is now increasingly important for reaching younger voters.
The study notes that Indonesian candidates in the 2024 presidential race, including Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, and Anies Baswedan, have formed dedicated social media teams that include influencers. Popular figures like Raffi Ahmad, Gading Marten, and Rizky Billar have contributed by offering support, sharing information, and encouraging their followers to vote.
The strategic targeting of younger demographics is particularly relevant in Indonesia, where over half of the nation’s 270 million population is under 40. This demographic is highly active on platforms like Facebook and TikTok, where influencers maintain massive followings.
The shift is also reflected in creator trends, with the GroupM-GOAT report noting a transition from mega to micro and nano-creators over the past three years. While micro and macro-content still dominate overall volume, nano-influencers have increased their market share from 5% in 2021 to 11% in 2024.
Challenges and Ethical Considerations
Despite its effectiveness, influencer marketing in political campaigns faces significant challenges. The research highlights concerns about message authenticity and credibility, noting that “while many influencers have sizable fan bases, not all of them are highly engaged or relevant to a particular political issue.”
The study identifies several critical challenges:
Misinformation risks, as influencers often serve as primary information sources
Audience trust issues when influencers participate in multiple political campaigns
Social media algorithms that increase polarization and create echo chambers
Lack of transparency in relationships between influencers and political actors
“The success of political campaigns will be jeopardized if influencers abuse their position to spread misinformation or fail to maintain audience trust,” the researchers warn, emphasizing the importance of ethical standards in political influencer marketing.
Global Research
The United States leads in research on influencer marketing in political campaigns with 57 publications, followed by Spain (54) and the United Kingdom (32). However, the study notes that Indonesia’s scientific contribution to this field remains limited despite its active use of influencers in political contexts since the 2014 presidential election.
This disparity between practical application and academic research represents a gap in the literature that the current study aims to address, particularly in understanding influencer marketing effectiveness in developing democracies.
These concerns have manifested in recent government campaigns as well. After President Joko Widodo led a tour of dozens of influencers through the Nusantara construction site in 2024, some observers noted that certain influencer posts seemed “scripted” rather than expressing “pure admiration.”
Meanwhile, academic Arga Pribadi Imawan from Gadjah Mada University told Rest of World that while influencers can “change the mindset so people from Java or Jakarta are willing to relocate,” there were legitimate concerns about environmental impacts that some promotional content glossed over.
Research Focus
The analysis reveals how research priorities have shifted over time:
2019: Fundamental concepts of communication, perception, and credibility
2020: Emphasis on influencer marketing and relationship building with audiences
2021: Focus on misinformation challenges and political communication strategies
2022: Deeper analysis of viewer-influencer relationships using data analysis techniques
2023: Concentration on branding and digital identity of political candidates
This progression demonstrates a maturing understanding of how influencer marketing functions in political contexts, moving from basic concepts toward more sophisticated, data-informed approaches.
Recommendations for Political Campaigns
Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that political campaigns should:
Select influencers based not just on popularity but on integrity and relevance to specific political issues
Implement greater transparency in candidate-influencer relationships
Integrate data-driven strategies to identify weaknesses in message reach
Develop content that encourages active political participation rather than passive digital engagement
Address disinformation risks through stronger regulation and digital literacy initiatives
These recommendations align with emerging consumer trends identified in the GroupM-GOAT report, which notes that Indonesian consumers are increasingly making intuitive rather than impulsive purchasing decisions.
As Fiona Anjani, CMO at local beauty brand Scarlett, observed: “Indonesian consumers are very community-led and also have the highest FOMO quotient in the region… There are conscious and critical consumers who look for relatable, albeit inspiring, content that is within reach.” Political campaigns face similar shifts in audience expectations.
The study concludes that influencer marketing played a key role in Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election, particularly in shaping public opinion and mobilizing younger voters who are more active on social media.
However, the researchers caution that digital engagement doesn’t always translate to substantive political participation. They note that future campaigns will need to bridge this gap by selecting influencers who can not only generate online buzz but also inspire meaningful civic engagement.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
A new bibliometric analysis reveals that influencer marketing has become a critical component of digital political campaigns in Indonesia, with significant growth in research publications on the topic between 2019 and 2023. The study, published in the July 2025 issue of INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication), examines how social media personalities are reshaping political engagement in Indonesia, particularly among younger voters.
The analysis of 258 scientific publications from the Scopus database shows a nearly five-fold increase in research on influencer marketing in digital political contexts. Publications rose from just 19 documents in 2019 to 93 in 2023, indicating growing academic and practical interest in the field.
This surge corresponds with political parties’ increased readiness to leverage influencers as communication agents ahead of elections worldwide, including Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have accelerated this trend, with a notable jump in publications after 2020 as voters became more reliant on digital information sources.
The findings align with Indonesia’s creator economy growth, which now features approximately 12 million creators producing between 500,000 and one million pieces of content monthly, according to a 2024 report by GroupM-GOAT Indonesia. This output positions Indonesia as the leading content producer in Southeast Asia.
Image source: Nyssa, Andi & Suswanta, & Sari, Inrinofita. (2025). Mapping Publication Trends of Influencer Marketing and Digital Political Campaigns: A Bibliometric Analysis. INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication). 10. 121-144. 10.18326/inject.v10i2.4647
Building Trust Remains Primary Function
According to the research, the most significant role of influencers in political campaigns is building trust and credibility, accounting for 39% of their impact. The study found that influencers with strong personal relationships with their audiences are particularly effective at cultivating trust, which is especially valuable in political environments.
“Influencer messages are easier to absorb and have a greater impact because they are perceived to be close to their audience,” the researchers note, pointing to the way political campaigns use influencers to make complex messages more approachable and personalized.
This trust dynamic is being leveraged beyond traditional campaign politics. In April 2024, the Indonesian government enlisted social media influencers to promote the relocation of its capital from Jakarta to the new under-construction city of Nusantara on Borneo island.
“We hope influencers can participate in disseminating information about Nusantara,” stated Usman Kansong from the Communications Ministry, highlighting the government’s strategy to “increase public knowledge and create a positive attitude towards moving to the capital.”
Action and Reach
The second most important function identified was mobilizing audience action (21%), where influencers motivate followers to support candidates, spread campaign messages, or engage in political activities. Creative messaging (18%) and expanding audience reach (15%) followed as key contributions.
Despite high digital engagement through influencers, the study found that increasing direct public participation remained challenging, accounting for only 5% of influencer impact. This suggests a disconnect between online engagement and offline political action that campaigns need to address.
Platform Strategies
The research identifies distinct roles for different social media platforms in political influencer campaigns. X frequently serves as a hub for political discussion, while Instagram is leveraged for engaging visual campaign content. TikTok, which was not prominent in earlier political campaigns, is now increasingly important for reaching younger voters.
The study notes that Indonesian candidates in the 2024 presidential race, including Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, and Anies Baswedan, have formed dedicated social media teams that include influencers. Popular figures like Raffi Ahmad, Gading Marten, and Rizky Billar have contributed by offering support, sharing information, and encouraging their followers to vote.
The strategic targeting of younger demographics is particularly relevant in Indonesia, where over half of the nation’s 270 million population is under 40. This demographic is highly active on platforms like Facebook and TikTok, where influencers maintain massive followings.
The shift is also reflected in creator trends, with the GroupM-GOAT report noting a transition from mega to micro and nano-creators over the past three years. While micro and macro-content still dominate overall volume, nano-influencers have increased their market share from 5% in 2021 to 11% in 2024.
Challenges and Ethical Considerations
Despite its effectiveness, influencer marketing in political campaigns faces significant challenges. The research highlights concerns about message authenticity and credibility, noting that “while many influencers have sizable fan bases, not all of them are highly engaged or relevant to a particular political issue.”
The study identifies several critical challenges:
“The success of political campaigns will be jeopardized if influencers abuse their position to spread misinformation or fail to maintain audience trust,” the researchers warn, emphasizing the importance of ethical standards in political influencer marketing.
Global Research
The United States leads in research on influencer marketing in political campaigns with 57 publications, followed by Spain (54) and the United Kingdom (32). However, the study notes that Indonesia’s scientific contribution to this field remains limited despite its active use of influencers in political contexts since the 2014 presidential election.
This disparity between practical application and academic research represents a gap in the literature that the current study aims to address, particularly in understanding influencer marketing effectiveness in developing democracies.
These concerns have manifested in recent government campaigns as well. After President Joko Widodo led a tour of dozens of influencers through the Nusantara construction site in 2024, some observers noted that certain influencer posts seemed “scripted” rather than expressing “pure admiration.”
Meanwhile, academic Arga Pribadi Imawan from Gadjah Mada University told Rest of World that while influencers can “change the mindset so people from Java or Jakarta are willing to relocate,” there were legitimate concerns about environmental impacts that some promotional content glossed over.
Research Focus
The analysis reveals how research priorities have shifted over time:
This progression demonstrates a maturing understanding of how influencer marketing functions in political contexts, moving from basic concepts toward more sophisticated, data-informed approaches.
Recommendations for Political Campaigns
Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that political campaigns should:
These recommendations align with emerging consumer trends identified in the GroupM-GOAT report, which notes that Indonesian consumers are increasingly making intuitive rather than impulsive purchasing decisions.
As Fiona Anjani, CMO at local beauty brand Scarlett, observed: “Indonesian consumers are very community-led and also have the highest FOMO quotient in the region… There are conscious and critical consumers who look for relatable, albeit inspiring, content that is within reach.” Political campaigns face similar shifts in audience expectations.
The study concludes that influencer marketing played a key role in Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election, particularly in shaping public opinion and mobilizing younger voters who are more active on social media.
However, the researchers caution that digital engagement doesn’t always translate to substantive political participation. They note that future campaigns will need to bridge this gap by selecting influencers who can not only generate online buzz but also inspire meaningful civic engagement.
The full study is available here.
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