Civic Engagement on Social Media: 2018 West Java Gubernatorial Election in Indonesia

The hypermedia strategy in political contest is used to promote the programs of political knowledge by both candidates and parties to the society in order to maintain the citizenship rights and obligations. It is argued that one’s basic political knowledge can increase their level of political participation, which is necessary to assess candidates’ quality. The purpose of this study is to look at political candidates’ awareness and engagement with the voters. The research focuses on the candidate’s political strategy in constructing campaign message, attracting targeted voters, and stimulating the political participation of the community through Instagram platform. This research was conducted by analyzing 80,328 social media posts. The research finds that not all candidates were aware of the benefits of engaging targeted voters on Instagram account.