ABSTRACT
This study aims to analyze public feedback regarding the activities of the South
Sumatra Golkar Party Regional Leadership Council (DPD) on Instagram, serving
as a medium for political communication and outreach. The evolution of social
media has transformed political communication patterns into more interactive
exchanges, enabling the public to respond directly through various features
available on Instagram. This research employs Lev Manovich’s "New Media"
concept as a theoretical framework to analyze the utilization of Instagram including
the use of hashtags, location tags, and various platform features and its role in
political outreach, assessed through indicators such as account popularity,
interaction volume, and content reach and viewership.A descriptive method with a
qualitative approach was utilized. Data collection techniques included observation,
interviews, and documentation. Research informants comprised key informants,
supporting informants, and Instagram users who follow the South Sumatra Golkar
Party DPD account. Data analysis followed the Miles and Huberman interactive
model encompassing data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing while
data validity was verified through source and method triangulation.
The results indicate that the South Sumatra Golkar Party DPD Instagram account
has served as a reasonably effective medium for political outreach. The use of
Instagram features such as the Feed, Reels, Stories, captions, hashtags, and
location tags has successfully supported the dissemination of political information
to the public. Public feedback is evidenced by the number of likes, comments, and
views, as well as other forms of interaction demonstrating public engagement with
the party's activities. The account's growing popularity, rising user interaction, and
extensive content reach and viewership demonstrate that Instagram functions as a
political communication medium capable of fostering a relationship between the
political party and the public. Nevertheless, the study also finds that optimizing
content management and enhancing two way interaction are still necessary to
further improve the effectiveness of political outreach via Instagram.
Keywords: Public Feedback, Instagram Social Media, Political Outreach, New
Media, South Sumatra Golkar Party DPD.