DIGITAL DEMOCRACY IN THE WEST JAVA GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION 2018: PARTICIPATION, PARTY CAMPAIGN, AND POWER RELATIONS

The logic of digital democracy is often parallel with freedom and openness which offer improvement. The interplay between democracy and technology has formed the dialectic interaction among political party, government and society. Democracy itself depends on participation of citizens which requires space, time and place. The presence of citizens‘ participation has transformed from conventional to the virtual form through social media. Penetration of social media has reshaped the political realities which influenced by digital communication of the users. Thus this research attempts to examine how digital democracy shapes and influence participation, party campaign, and power relations in the West Java gubernatorial elections 2018. This research employs a qualitative approach based on case study analysis which provides an in-depth understanding of a case or cases. The case study research is one of the qualitative traditions of inquiry. Data are collected through interviews and literatures. As a tool of analysis, the researcher uses Manuel Castells idea with social network approach to explain participation, party campaign, and power relations in the West Java gubernatorial election 2018 which was held on 27 June 2018. This study found that social network through social media has shaped and influenced participation, party campaign and power relations in the West Java gubernatorial elections 2018.