Interpreting Digital Politics in Marginalized Communities: A Phenomenological Study
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Abstract
Digital media have transformed how political information is accessed and interpreted, yet this transformation remains uneven among marginalized populations. While prior research has explored digital engagement broadly, little is known about how individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds experience political information in everyday contexts. This study focuses on marginalized communities residing in urban low-income neighborhoods in Indonesia, where limited digital literacy and infrastructural constraints shape political communication practices. This study addresses the lack of insight into the subjective dimensions of political engagement by asking: How do marginalized individuals make sense of political content accessed through digital platforms? Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, this study explores the lived experiences of individuals navigating political information in conditions of social and technological precarity. Eight participants (five women and three men) aged between 22 and 45 were recruited through purposive sampling, all of whom have limited access to stable internet connectivity and rely primarily on low-cost smartphones and social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp for political information. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The results reveal four major experiential themes: difficulty navigating misinformation, passive participation as a protective strategy, trust shaped by personal relationships rather than source credibility, and digital access as a symbol of social inclusion. These themes reflect a nuanced interplay between access, emotion, and identity that challenges traditional models of political engagement. The findings suggest that marginalized political actors engage with digital democracy not as passive consumers, but as cautious interpreters whose behaviors are shaped by fear, distrust, and community belonging. This research advances our understanding of how political meaning is constructed at the margins and offers a foundation for future studies to explore inclusion and agency in digital civic life.
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